Ensnared
by Shadow Oblivion
Summary: Kid had botched the job. Not only did he not kill the lawyer, but he had the brilliant idea to kidnap him. When word got out about what Kid had done, Law is unsympathetic to his plight, as he had been the one that Eustass had kidnapped. Law is, however, highly amused when a persistent cop happens to pick up Kid's trail, and becomes determined to arrest him. AU. non con, dub con.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Guess who wanted to write more KidxLaw and decided on another AU because it is easier to practice with plots? This is more of a just because fanfic, so if it goes a little off kilter and weird at times with the random lemon timings, that's why (as in, this is meant to be over the top ridiculous at times, since I think I depressed myself with how dark and depressing _A Twisted Game_ was to write. In other words, this is a 'lol wtf ff am I writing' kind of thing that I normally wouldn't think to post.

Warnings: Non con, dub con, (maybe consensual later), some gore later on due to things going terribly wrong, sometimes copious amounts of swearing on Kid's part, random acts of property damage and extreme fluffiness due to one of Kid's quirks for this story that will come into play in the latter half of the fic (which Law will obviously take full advantage of).

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from One Piece. I apparently just have a problem and it involves these two idiots being in the same story.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Law was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse onto his bed and sleep in until late the next morning. It was a tantalizing prospect, and one that he wanted to take advantage of, but knew it was out of the question. However, the case that Law was currently working on meant that the sleep he desperately needed was not a possibility eight now. And as much as he needed that sleep, his work called to him and Law had no choice but to continue to do the research that was required of him. Even if he were to stay up all night again, the dark haired man knew that it would be well worth the sleep deprivation he was experiencing already. The trial he was to be a part of was one of the most important of all his careers, and Law knew that he could not fail the man he had been called upon to represent and plead his case. Hence the extra work Law had put into the case, despite not having the defendant's take on things.

Law let out a soft sigh as his eyes glanced up from the paperwork spread out over the desk in front of him. He had been taking a look at old case files from crimes that had seemingly been unconnected. In the past hour, Law had found that the more he looked them over, he found himself more convinced that the case he had just taken and the ones he was currently pouring over were all linked together in one way or another. It was the first breakthrough he had made since he had started in on some background research. With a light shake of his head, Law shifted a few of the papers and set them into one pile to his left. With a furtive peek at the clock and latching onto the fact that it was well past midnight, Law stretched and held back a yawn. His bed was calling to him, but he knew he couldn't rest yet. Since he had found the connection, the dark haired man wished to go over some of the more current information for the upcoming trial.

Even though said trial was still months from now, Law knew that he had to be well prepared. There was no point in talking with the defendant if he didn't at least have a little background on him. There was no such thing as being over prepared.

With that in mind, Law picked up another piece of paper and looked it over, his free hand going up to press the glasses he wore up the bridge of his nose. He zeroed in on the most important pieces of information he had been given a week ago. Law frowned at the name of the defendant as he mused over what was typed. Law knew the defendant, one Portgas D. Ace, was a bartender of some little known bar in a shitty part of the city. _'Why am I not surprised that I was given this case?'_ Law lingered on that for a moment, before he continued to read over the information, even though he had gone over it many times in his head. Law knew that he was normally given harder cases because he was more successful with them, but really, Law had no idea what was going through his colleague's minds when they suggested he take this case.

The dark haired man's mind went back to what he knew of Ace. The dark haired man had learned that Ace would not back down from a challenge, and there were even rumors of criminal theft and grand auto before Ace had gotten his current job. Law's eyes glanced over the brief mention of family. _'He's single, and has a brother and a grandfather.'_ Law's eyes focused on what left him to wonder how he was to defend Ace at all in court with such damning evidence that he had been presented with beforehand. _'Accused of the murder of several of the bar's regular client's, as well as the owner of the establishment. He was even found with the murder weapons when he was arrested two weeks ago.'_ Law's thoughts began to drift as he dropped the paper onto the desk and ran his hand idly through his hair.

This was going to be a difficult case no matter what he did. It was almost as if the higher ups wanted him to lose...

A faint sound of the front door opening and closing made Law pause in his readings. That was odd, he had locked the door to his apartment, hadn't he? Almost immediately, Law heard another thud and...was that someone cursing? No, that didn't make any sense. Who would bother with this apartment anyway? He was supposed to be living as an anonymous tenant, just to keep him out of any trouble that might come from higher profile cases. No one should know who it was that lived here, unless someone had ratted him out, which was a possibility, even if it was ludicrous to even consider. Law nearly rolled his eyes as he settled on what could have made the noise. It had to have been his cat. The creature seemed to have a strange fondness for knocking things around in the kitchen. Or the living room. Or anywhere where the cat could deem it worth his notice to make Law's life become a cluttered mess of scattered paperwork and knickknacks. When the sound persisted, Law heaved himself up out of his chair and went into the next room to take a look for the culprit.

Law was disappointed when he found his cat curled up and fast asleep on the couch. The perfect picture of innocence. With a final glare at the cat that had interrupted his late night work, the dark haired man turned on his heel and went back to his bedroom. He was not in a good mood at all now that his concentration had been shattered. It was going to be difficult to get back on track, but Law knew that he needed to finish preliminary research before he met with the defendant in a few days, and he did not need the constant distractions that has been happening for the last week. The feeling that he was being followed, even though upon closer inspection he had always found himself alone. No mugger in sight. It was annoying, and it normally took a lot more than sounds to make Law edgy, but the fact that he couldn't shake the feeling made him nervous.

The dark haired lawyer plopped back down onto his chair, intent on reading through the majority of the papers before getting a few hours of rest. Law's fingers lingered near his cell phone when he thought he heard something in the other room again. The dark haired man shook his head, his hands going back to reach for the paper. He was too paranoid right now, even though there was no reason to be. Just because his cat hadn't been the one making the noises he had heard earlier didn't mean anything. There was likely a rational explanation for the sound. It was probably just one of his neighbors making a racket, and at an inconvenient time. Yes. That was all it was. No reason to get so concerned over something like that. Law knew he was just imagining things. It wasn't like anything was going to happen. Even if someone did happen to come across him at this apartment, it would take an idiot to even dare to do him any harm. Reassured, Law got back to work with the idea that he had nothing at all to worry about.

The dark haired lawyer had no idea just how wrong he was, and just how much of his life was going to be thrown into turmoil because an 'idiot' was about to make their presence known to him.

-x

Kid was bored as fuck.

It was nothing new to the redhead, however, as he gloomily made his way down a deserted street at nearly one in the fucking morning. Kid scowled and drew his jacket up around the nape of his neck to block the slight chill in the air. And if there was something he hated more than being bored, it was being in such a state with no way out. Hence the reason that he was out at one in the bloody morning, underdressed in the early winter, and on a ridiculous mission that he had had no interest in. And Kid was out right now solely because the redhead hated boredom with a burning passion. Boredom was hard to find a cure for, and there was nothing Kid hated more than being stuck in the same routine over and over until there was nothing to do but to act out in order to save himself from it. Which was why he had accepted this shit job in the first place. Not because he wanted to do it, but because he was so desperate for a change that he was ready to do just about anything to relieve himself of the mind numbing stupidity of the same thing.

And to avoid being arrested for doing something obviously stupid. He had narrowly avoided being roughed up by way of robbing an ATM. In Kid's defense, someone flashing their credit card was just asking to be drained of all their money. Or as much as he could extort from the person he was robbing until they or a bystander happened to get a spine and called the cops. Kid absently ran a hand along his left shoulder. He was lucky the bullet had come out so easily from the last time he had been forced to outrun the cops.

The redhead shook the thought away and focused on what he was supposed to be doing. Kill someone. Which, when he thought about it, Kid felt was probably a bad idea compared to robbing the blissfully stupid. Boring in of itself, but it was better than wandering the city and burning stolen cash, with nothing interesting to do. Especially since he was all alone right now, as the rest of the people he had hung out with were currently in prison. Kid shivered slightly as the wind picked up. Fucking wind. He hated this city and its cold winter. It was nothing like his hometown, where the temperature barely dropped below a pleasant 75 degrees fahrenheit. Kid paused before the crappy apartment he had gotten the address of the target he was to take out. Kid sneered as he pushed open the unlocked back door. What kind of a idiot would chose to live in such a broken down and shitty apartment? Kid shook his shoulders out as the temperature of the apartment warmed him up slightly. It felt a lot better. Kid had no intention of freezing his balls off to wait outside for his target to come outside when daylight came along.

Kid held in a yawn. He couldn't afford to get sloppy, and being half asleep was a sure fire way to get himself injured or killed. If he was going to assassinate someone as important as a lawyer, he needed to be careful. It was, after all, something far different than what he was used to doing. Murder was much more of a felony than stealing cash from the unwitting. Ordinarily, Kid would never have risked going after someone of a high profile, but for the money he was offered, and the amount paid up front, Kid was more than willing to risk it. It sounded like a simple job, and the idiot he was after even lived alone, which made snuffing the son of a bitch all the more easy.

Kid adjusted the leather jacket he was wearing again as he made sure that he had the items he had brought along for the job. The zip ties were considerably cheaper than handcuffs, and Kidd even doubted that he was going to need them if all he was going to do was kill the man. The jagged knife in his other pocket was also in place, so there was no use delaying things any longer. The redhead paused before the door to the apartment number scribbled on the piece of paper he had. Kid felt around in his pocket, ready to pick the lock, when he reached out to hold on to the door knob and found, to his surprise, that it unlocked. "What a fucking dumbass." Kid muttered under his breath as he slipped into the apartment. He doubted that there were any cameras around, but there was no point in dwelling longer than needed. Kid eased the door shut behind him, though it made a dull thud. The redhead held still, but when there was no movement from inside the small apartment, Kid relaxed. For good measure, he locked the door with one of his gloved hands. Kid snorted softly. Not that he was going to allow the person he was about to kill enough time to even think about trying to escape.

The redhead cursed under his breath as he stumbled over a pair of shoes, and froze as he heard movement from another room this time around. Kid hastily looked around for somewhere to get out of sight, and quickly squeezed into the coat closet. Not the best place to hide, but it was the best Kidd could do on such short notice. Hardly daring to breathe, Kid watched as his target entered the living room, and the dark thoughts of how he was going to leave the man in a gruesome state of death fled as Kid got a good look at him.

Tall, not overly muscular if the loose t shirt the man wore was anything to go by. Messy dark blue hair and a golden gaze that all but read pissed as hell that he was being interrupted from whatever it was that he was doing. Pants hung low on his hips, and made the man give off an air of 'I don't give a fuck what I look like right now.' It was nice.

It was a very nice image he was presented with.

Kid didn't mind the sight at all, and he nearly let out a laugh as he realized the way his mind was traveling. Fucking hell, he was so not going to get paid the rest of the money. Because really, who the hell in their right mind would want to off a piece of ass as good looking as the dark haired man he was currently staring at? Fuck. He was so screwed. Kid had taken this job out of boredom, and had been landed with something so intriguing that the redhead couldn't help but feel that he needed to take advantage of it as soon as possible. And the name on the piece of paper. Trafal...something or other Law. Kid bit back a snigger. Law. A lawyer named Law. It was too ironic to be true, but here Kid was, armed with a knife, and instead of his first thought to impale the blue haired man and leave him bleeding, Kid was thinking of something else that he would rather impale in the attractive man that he was all but ogling from inside the closet.

Fuck.

There was no way Kid couldn't take advantage of this, even if it seemed like a very, very bad idea.

The redhead watched the other man as he went back to his room, and Kid found himself appreciating the slim build of the other man. The sight of skin from where the pants had slipped down presented a nice image too. Kid's lips curled. Someone wasn't wearing something down under. How convenient. Because the redhead really wanted to seize those loose pants and tug them down. He wanted to trail his hands over that tanned-looking skin. Kid wanted to bite that skin and hear what sounds that he could draw from that son of a bitch that had just about disappeared into the other room...

Kid blinked and his gaze darted down briefly, before he zeroed in on the dark haired man's back as it vanished into the room. Fuck, it had been a long time since Kid had had sex, and he normally didn't get so aroused just from checking out a complete stranger. A stranger who seemed oddly familiar, but Kid supposed that had to do with checking over the man's history a little bit before going on the job. He had the name at least. Law. The name had rung a bell, but Kid hadn't been bothered to do too much checking in on the man other than to check the apartment out a little bit beforehand. Kid waited for a few minutes to pass before he opened up the closet door carefully, and stepped out, heedful of the shoes this time so that he would not to trip over them again and alert Law that there really was someone in the place with him.

The redhead had a moment of doubt as he fretted briefly over what to do. Kid felt that the best idea would be to go. He couldn't do this after all, but Kid knew that if he didn't follow through, he was the one that was going to have a hit pulled on him. Kid wasn't in the mood to have someone, greenhorn or not, try to assassinate him, but he wasn't quite sure what to do to make things work out in his favor. The redhead was silent for a moment as his hand slipped in one of his jacket's pockets and fingered the zip tie. Kid started to grin. Then again, who said he had to kill the dark haired man at all? Why couldn't he just kidnap Law and keep him to himself? No one would know where the lawyer had gotten to save for Kid himself, and he could trash the man's apartment and make it seem like a robbery gone wrong. Or a murder because he was going to figure out how to leave some of Law's blood around and make it seem like the man's body had been moved from the scene of the crime.

With that plan in mind, and still very aroused, a fact that infuriated Kid to have happened to him in such a short time, stole across the short hall, and into the bedroom. He didn't bother closing the door, as that would only let Law know of his presence. Unable to hold back, and thinking this was all very bizarre, Kid made his way over to the desk that the dark haired man was seated at. Kid was still at a loss and very, very puzzled as to why this man had ignited such a desire in him, but at the moment, Kid wanted only one thing, and he didn't particularly care if the other man was willing to accommodate him or not. The redhead was used to getting what he wanted, and right now, he had the need to see the other man on the bed, with him fucking Law until he begged for more. With sex on his mind, there was little Kid could do to talk himself out of how this was likely to be a very bad idea if it backfired on him. However, Kid was overly confident he would not mess this up, so he went in without any warning.

Kid had no idea of knowing what he had just gotten himself into, so it was his own fault when he would regret what he did that night some time later.

Kid swooped in from behind and wrapped his arms around Law from behind, and in doing so, pinned the other man's arms to his side. The fact that the dark haired lawyer was using a bench as a chair made it all the easier. No wonder the poor bastard had looked so pissed off. Kid would be too if he didn't have a decent chair to sit on. The question of why Law was in such a shitty apartment to begin with, when he was obviously well off enough if he was a lawyer, was dismissed as unimportant right now, because Law had reacted almost instantly as Kid's arms settled around him. Kid felt the other man tense up, before straining against his sudden touch. Kid felt the flexing muscle beneath his hands, and decided that he liked that, and took the chance to lean up against the other man, arms settling more heavily to prevent immediate escape as he spoke quietly, his fingers trailing along the other man's stomach lightly, "You know, I think you should count yourself lucky. I was supposed to kill you." The redhead expected anything from silence to a pathetic whine to not cause harm, or a bribe of money, so Kidd was understandably taken aback when a calm, yet slightly exasperated, voice answered him.

"I did not expect someone to send in an assassin. I honestly thought that was only in the movies." There was a brief pause, before Law's voice turned curious, as if he couldn't believe what was happening, "And how am I supposed to be lucky? Do assassins these days toy with their prey before killing them? That seems rather sloppy."

Kid blinked, honestly not sure what to do. He wasn't used to his victims being so damn calm and nonchalant. Not that he had ever really murdered another person. The most he had done was rough someone up before one of his gang got him to stop.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Kid scowled at the light and nearly teasing tone, and in that one moment of being taken aback, the redhead suddenly found himself harshly elbowed in the stomach. Kid let go of the other entirely with a curse, and barely had time to register that Law was now up out of his seat. Kid narrowly dodged the fist aimed at his face, and hastily recovered his control as he snapped a hand up and gripped Law's wrist. The dark haired man hissed, obviously displeased, and even though Kid knew he shouldn't have found it funny, he did. Kid laughed. He laughed even harder when Law's other fist came toward him, as if not put off that the redhead had captured the other in a crushing grip. "Hmm…" Kid hummed thoughtfully as his other hand came up and seized the other fist aimed his way. "You're pretty feisty." Kid kept a firm grasp on the other man's wrists, and dragged him closer to grin down at him. "I like that."

The dark haired man blinked, and almost immediately his gaze dropped down toward Kid's waist. A scowl crossed Law's features and he began to struggle to struggle in earnest to free his wrists. Law was obviously not so keen on finding out that Kid was past the point of no return in his amorous prospect of getting some tail so early in the morning.

Kid was a little bothered that Law hadn't said anything, because he found himself wanting to hear that sexy voice that came out of the other man. Even he hadn't expected to be so taken by the other man, and inwardly Kid knew he was botching his job by doing this. But again, there was something irresistible about the other man, and Kid couldn't help that he wanted the other man so much that he was letting his dick distract him from his real reason for going to this shitty place in the first place. Kid tugged Law toward him, despite the other digging in his heels, still seemingly in shock at what was happening. Kid honestly had no idea why this was happening either, but he was fairly sure he knew what he wanted as soon as his lips met the other's. Kid took advantage of Law's small murmur of confusion, and steered him to the side toward the nearby bed, where Kid unceremoniously broke off the kiss and let go of Law, and quickly shoved him down onto the bed face first.

The redhead followed quickly and pinned Law down, one hand dipping into his pocket and hastily taking out and looping the zip tie around the dark haired man's wrists before he could even think to fight back. Kid settled back on his heels and stared down at the other, before he moved in and flipped Law on his back. Kid wanted to see him. Wanted to see his eyes as he realized what he was going to do. Alarm bells were going off in Kid's head that he should stop, but he couldn't. It was as if Law had cast some spell over him, and the redhead couldn't stop as he looked over his displeased prize for the night in a lusty way.

Law wrinkled his nose and glared up at the redhead, clearly unamused, "You reek. Did you fall into a garbage dump on the way to not assassinate me?"

Kid grinned down at his captive. Oh, he was going to have a lot of fun with this sarcastic son of a bitch. "It's cologne, dumbass." Kid muttered crossly as he leaned over and settled himself between Law's knees, his hands resting on the bed on either side of Law's head. Though Kid was not going to admit taking a stop in a bar and getting a drink. B.O. and smoke was probably what Law smelled, and apparently it outperformed the cologne in terms of which one could be smelled first. Kid nudged his knee against the other man's crotch experimentally, and the redhead was rewarded with Law's breath hitching at the action. Kid grinned and did it again. It appeared as though the other man finally realized his intentions, or, Kid thought, perhaps he already had guessed it, but didn't think Kid would actually follow through. Kid couldn't help himself as he leaned in closer to breathe against Law's throat, "I don't know why you have so much of an effect on me, but I think I wanna fuck you and then kidnap you, before someone else comes to try and snuff you. They were offering a large sum of money."

There was a long pause, and Kid took it upon himself to leave a few light kisses along the dark haired man's throat. He was still marveling about how fucking attracted he was to Law, and wondering why the hell it had happened as quickly as it had.

The feeling was not so mutual.

"What the hell? Get off of me!" Law snarled, but any attempt to dissuade or move the heavier man fell short, and decided to continue to express his displeasure at Kid's actions, "And you are not fucking me at all, you sick son of a bitch."

Kid smirked at the barely noticeable moan that had left Law as he allowed his hands to move down to the dark haired man's waist. "What was that you were saying? It sounds like you don't mind it too much." Kid rested his upper body across Law's chest as one of his hands went further down to cup the other man's crotch, which made Law twitch in shock. Kid was silent for a moment as he palmed the dark haired man, before he began to tug down the sweatpants slowly with his other hand, "Your dick is telling me something else."

"Of course it is. Anyone could be doing what you are and it would have the same effect." Law snapped irritably, trying to kick Kid in the side and missing as the redhead avoided it by leaning down against him more heavily, "Dammit. You're heavy. Decide what you're going to do before doing it, idiot. If you are going to kill me, there are faster ways to do so than slowly crushing me with your weight."

It seemed like this was going to be interesting, yet at the same time, Kid couldn't help but feel that there was something familiar about the man he had pinned down on the bed. The insinuation that he was an idiot didn't bother Kid. He had heard far worse. Law would have to say a lot more to even get him to blink at an insult. And he'd heard quite some creative ones.

But the thought that Law was familiar was merely a thought, and one that Kid was not going to give much thought to. The redhead gave Law no time to protest as he slid his pants down and off the rest of the way, and smiled smugly when he realized that yes, Law wore nothing else besides the pants. "You're fucking hot as hell." Kid breathed distractedly as he tugged Law's shirt up and leaned in to lavish attention across the tanned chest and stomach with his tongue. It didn't make any sense to Kid at all that all he could think of was fucking Law into exhaustion, but he didn't question it. Hell, he was even enjoying the idea.

Kid hastily produced some lube and after fumbling around for a few minutes and getting quite some interesting gasps and tiny groans, pressed up against the shivering dark haired man after he had ripped open a small foil packet. He counted himself lucky that he even happened to have a few condoms on hand, even if he'd rather be skin to skin. Perhaps later. Right now, he was just pleased that his habit of carrying around the lube and such things had paid off for the evening. Morning. Whatever. Kid grinned against Law's shoulder as he nipped at the skin, "Ever had sex with a man before, Trafalgar?"

There was an intake of breath, before the dark haired man twisted slightly to look at Kid out of the corner of his eye, disbelief written on his features, "How do you know my name?"

Kid pressed closer as he leaned forward and bit down on Law's shoulder with more force, "I did a little research on you before I came here, but apparently not enough. If I had…I would never have taken the job."

Law's breath hitched as he felt Kidd thrust into him sharply, and bit his lip. At least the brute had had the forethought to use a condom, even if being put upon in this manner was not at all in line with his early morning plans. With a shaky breath, Law's head dropped onto the bed, and was able to get a better look at Kid. Law's eyes took on an interested gleam as something appeared to click in his mind, "I thought you…looked familiar." Law wondered why he hadn't recognized the redhead's voice. After all, he had heard it in the aftermath of when the cops had raided his gang's base. A pity. The cops had obviously messed up if they couldn't even arrest the leader of the group, "How is life treating you?" Law shifted and bit his lip again, rather uncomfortable from the fact that Kidd had him pinned on his back and essentially tapped with nowhere to go. It wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation he was experiencing, but as Kid had forced himself on him...Law clenched his zip tied hands behind his back, "I regret not getting the intel sooner, otherwise you wouldn't even be here tonight. I had passed what I had known to a colleague of mine in the police."

Kid held still for a moment as he looked down the line of Law's spine to where the dark, blue haired man rested his head on the sheets. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Law looked unsure of whether or not to say anything, considering the predicament he was in with a real life stick up his ass, before Law's demeanor changed, and his lips curled up into a vicious smile, "How does it feel to be left with nothing, Eustass-ya? To have all of your gang in a prison because of a mistake on your part? Too bad you weren't around at the time. Maybe you would be keeping them company."

It took a minute for Kid to follow Law's words, but when he did, he froze. He felt a brief moment of being torn about whether to continue or not, because as soon as Law had said it, he remembered. He remembered seeing the news of the lawyer who put his whole gang into prison after the large scale raid. Trafalgar Law. That was why the son of a bitch had looked so familiar. Kid vaguely remembered finding the man's picture good looking before getting angry at him for sending his gang to jail and essentially sending him to the bottom of the food chain in the crime world.

"Are you going to move any time soon, or are you more motivated to kill me now?" Law asked mildly, wiggling a little, even if it made him gasp. He had no idea why he was goading Kid, but the situation was so surreal that he couldn't help himself. And Law was not one to lie back and take something. He would fight it, as he hated anyone trying to tell him, or get him, to do something against his will.

Kid stared at the fucking infuriating smile on the other man's face, before he returned it with a nasty one of his own, "…no, I don't wanna kill you. Didn't want to as soon as I saw you walking around like you're on a fucking commercial for the tv." Kid pulled back before he made a sharp movement, pleased when he heard a pained yelp from the man beneath him, "But I think I'm gonna have more fun with you than I thought." Kid could always kill this son of a bitch later if he got bored of him. But for now, having the other man at his mercy seemed to be nice payback for what he had done two years ago. Law was right. Kid had lost everything, and had been forced to grovel at the feet of some of the people who had been his equals, in order to get work that paid more than the occasional extortion Kid chose to pursue.

Kid wasn't sure how long he fucked Law, but they had obviously done it enough times that the redhead had reduced Law to tears of exhaustion, until the dark haired man had completely fainted on him. Kid still wasn't satisfied, but at least he now knew what he was going to do.

He was going to kidnap Law and take him to his place, then sit back and watch as people started to freak out over his disappearance. If Law didn't show up to work, Kid figured he would get a kick out of seeing people trying to find out what had happened to Law. Hell, he might be able to even blackmail Law into getting his gang released from prison if he pushed hard enough. But for now…

Kid rested alongside the slumbering dark haired lawyer, and ran a hand gently through Law's damp hair, before he trailed it down his sweaty body. For now, Kid needed to go and make this guy's apartment look like a murder scene. No one would think that someone had kidnapped him. Surely that would throw the police off his trail.

An inquiring meow made Kid pause after he had sat up on the bed. The redhead glanced down and found himself looking at a pure white cat. Kid stared at the cat for one long moment, before he leaned over and held a hand out for the animal to inspect. The purring creature brushed up against him after one brief sniff of his hand, and Kidd fought back a smile that threatened to cross his face. It seemed like he would have to kidnap someone else as well. Kid happened to like animals, so even if Law was a bastard that he wanted to make suffer, he wasn't going to do the same to his pet.

Kid reached down and picked up the cat, which he proceeded to cuddle despite knowing how ridiculous it made him look. Kid also ignored the fact that his voice had gone from gruff to soft as he addressed the bundle of fur he held cradled against his chest, "Hey, you wanna go someplace bigger? I got a cat at home that could use a playmate." Kid poked a finger at one paw pad, "What do you say?"

The pure white cat purred in response as it reached up a paw to bat Kid's cheek as if in retaliation for the red head's earlier poke.

Kid pretended that he did not coo over the beast before he set it down. Kid did not want to think of the horrors that could come from his secret side of being an animal lover. It was too damn embarrassing to think about. Hell, Kid had even kept it a secret from his gang that he liked to help animals. He even took them to shelters if he found one abandoned, because they all ended up being too ridiculously sweet to leave out on the street. Kid turned to face the room after he had pulled his clothes back on haphazardly. He had a lot of work ahead of him, and he couldn't let a cat distract him for too long. Kid's gaze drifted to Law's slumbering, naked form, and carefully pulled the sweatpants back on. Kid left the shirt off for now to appreciate the tattoos he could now take notice of.

The redhead grinned to himself as he watched Law stretch out on his side and let out a soft moan, as if he could feel the redhead's touch even in his sleep. Kid hummed an off key tune as he turned and began to systematically destroy things in the apartment. Law's cat even joined in on batting things off the side of shelves, much to Kid's amusement. As Kid made his way around the small apartment, he found that he wasn't so bored anymore, and even though he knew he was breaking a shit ton of laws with what he had done and had planned, Kid found that he really did not give a damn.

Because he was going to have a lot of fun with what he had inadvertently stumbled across.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Oh look, sort of kind of lemon in the first chapter (even though it isn't consensual...help, my laptop needs to be taken from me. I can't stop typing kidxlaw shit. Ugh). This whole fic is just going to get ridiculous with every passing chapter...I don't even know why I do this to myself, but at least I finished one of the stories that I started so far.

I am fairly certain this is going to be a shorter fanfic just based on what I have outlined as a plot (I have the ending typed up already). I am anticipating that this fanfic will be around 15 chapters (they are not going to be nearly as long as this chapter was) but it isn't out of the realm of possibility of the fic going on for longer. I just needed something silly to balance out the other fics I'm posting because they're depressing to write out at times. So if this fic ends up being clichéd I apologize in advance. And no, Law isn't going to immediately fall for Kid after the stunt he pulled. It is also not going to be as lemon-y of a story as _A Twisted Game_. But I may change my mind later as I post chapters for this.

And apparently Kid is only going to have one d in his name for this fic. Also, as it is AU, so who the hell knows whether ooc and ic stuff is going to turn up more. I don't like to write ooc, but for now, I'll just roll with the way it is right now because I really need something dorky to deal with for a little while before going back to the angst-y stuff of other fics.


	2. Chapter 2

The problem with changing plans on the fly, Kid decided, was that it made his previous plans get blown to hell. If Kid had thought things through more clearly, he would have resisted the urge to fuck the lawyer into unconsciousness. Kid blamed his actions from the fact that he had been so turned on by the other man's appearance and response to him that the redhead had temporarily taken leave of his senses. If Kid had remembered the specifics of his job, the redhead would have remembered sooner that he was supposed to bring some kind of proof that he had killed Law to those who had hired him for the job.

As soon as that particular detail entered his mind, Kid ended up on the bench in Law's room, and cursed himself for being such a damn fool. How the hell was he supposed to provide proof when he now had no intention of killing the irritating yet sexy son of a bitch lawyer? Kid supposed that he could bleed Law a little and smear it on some clothing. It would be crude, but Kid figured that since this wasn't really his kind of gig, that those that had hired him for the job might be willing to let slide Kid's pathetic offer of proof. If they didn't, Kid himself might find himself a bloody smear on the ground after getting the shit beaten out of him. The redhead would not put it past them to even jip him on the rest of the money if he didn't show up with a body, or even a piece of the body, and there was no way that Kid was going to maim the man that was passed out on the nearby bed.

Kid sighed heavily. He didn't want to have to think so damn much at…what, three in the fucking morning? Or was it four? He didn't care enough to actually turn his head to look around for the clock. He still had a few hours before he was supposed to present the obviously not dead lawyer to the boss of the man that had hired him for the job. Shit. Kid knew he should have not taken the job, but desperation and boredom had won out in the end. And just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, the attractive fuck on the bed that was the cause of his problems decided to regain consciousness and add to his misery of being a dumbass. Kid heard Law shift on the bed, before the dark haired man spoke in a clearly pissed off manner, though it was obvious he was trying to keep that anger toned down for whatever reason as he began to spew threats.

"I hope that you realize that I'm going to send your ass straight to jail. There won't even need to be a damn trial. And I'll make sure you are put in the worst area of the prison. Perhaps a taste of your own medicine will dissuade you from breaking and entering another person's home and forcing yourself on them."

Shit. How the hell could Law be so damn awake after being asleep moments before? Unless he had been faking it. Kid didn't bother to look up from where he was had his eyes on the ugly ass rug. Instead, he snorted at the dark haired man's lack of manners. "Aren't you the cheerful one? And here I thought you were going to threaten to cut my dick and balls off." Kid grumbled, his thoughts still on what to do about his the more pressing predicament of saving his own ass. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Law being awake and sassy distracted him.

"That can be arranged, you know. I do happen to have a sharp knife in my kitchen. No anesthesia though, but who knows, you might enjoy the pain. Perhaps you'll be so good as to untie me and drop your pants while I retrieve the knife?" Law's voice was disgusted now, yet at the same time held a tone of pure seething venom, "You seemed so eager to do so only a little while ago."

"Damn, you are just asking for me to beat the shit out of you, aren't you?" Kid griped, finally deigning it necessary to lift his head so that he could lock eyes with Law. The redhead took the chance to get in a good eyeful of the blue haired man, and couldn't help but appreciate the way Law's muscles flexed as the lawyer tried and failed to free his wrists himself. Kid felt to point out that there was no use doing it, but figured it would only encourage Law to sass him, which Kid actually found to be doing interesting things to his body. Kid tried to ignore the fact that Law's pants had slipped down slightly, which gave him a good view of his hips. Kid brought his eyes up to the lawyer's chest, where his gaze lingered a little longer before he grinned appreciatively, "Nice tats."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Eustass-ya." Law said darkly, either not noticing that Kid had been checking him out, or in no mood to bring it up, "Or have you forgotten that you have recently forced yourself on me when I obviously did not want you to?"

"Funny, you seemed to be enjoying yourself. I even heard a little begging." Kid commented, as his mind drifted back to what to do about how to give evidence to his temporary employers of his not so deceased hit. It was hard to keep focused on that when Law presented quite the sight of being a ruffled mess and rather tasty looking in the way that Kid wanted to go in for another round and get a better taste of the other man's skin.

"You are unbelievable." Law's voice was one of disbelief, though it could have just been because he had seen the lusty look cross the other man's face, "Do you honestly think you haven't done anything wrong?"

"No." Kid said in response, only half listening, because he was still eying Law and the way his body moved while trying to free itself of the zip tie. Fuck, Kid had never been one for bondage, but he could clearly see why some might like it. It was rather erotic to watch Law struggle right now on the bed with nowhere to go. Kid shifted uncomfortably on the bench. Shit. He had to stop thinking about Law. He had to think about proof. Proof or his ass was on the line and Kid did not fancy ending up six feet under because of the man before him. Dammit. "Listen, your scrawny ass is already causing me trouble, and since I ain't gonna kill you, I have to figure how to let some other people think that I did. So shut the hell up."

"Do not tell me what to do, you uncouth beast. I am not going to allow you to continue to insult me and treat me in this manner." Law said indignantly, his hands twitching behind his back as he renewed his efforts to free his wrists.

Kid growled something under his breath, "You are fucking noisy, you know that? Keep it down." Kid looked Law up and down with a grin, "Uncouth, huh? Wordy bastard. Know what? I think I'm gonna make you enjoy yourself next time."

"There will not be a next time. You are not going to touch me again. I will get my neighbors attention." Law said ominously, clearly displeased that Kid was even considering it.

Kid barely had time to register Law's words before the dark haired man took a deep breath. If the redhead didn't think that the lawyer would actually scream he might have laughed, but Kid wasn't about to wait and find out. Instead, he quickly lurched up from the bench and over to the bed. Kid all but bowled Law over onto the sheets, and whatever the dark haired man had been about to say or do was reduced to what suspiciously sounded like a squeak as Kid's weight pinned him to the bed. The redhead did not give Law any time to react, as his lips closed over ones that were slightly parted. Kid rested one arm on the bed to prevent him from crushing Law with his weight as the other twined through the man's hair. Kid tilted his head to give him a better angle to deepen the kiss, more or less ignoring Law's struggle to get away. The damn bastard was pressing his buttons, but at the same time, Kid liked Law's attitude.

The red head hummed thoughtfully as he darted his tongue out across Law's lips in a curious swipe, and found that the other man had clamped his lips shut tight, denying him access. Kid smiled against the other's lips. While he thought of what to do, the redhead was going to have a little fun at the other man's expense. He knew that the lawyer would spew a lot of hate at him for what he was about to do, but for now, Kid didn't care. He wanted to make the other man miserable, and if he enjoyed it, that would make it more humiliating for him. And later on, once they were out of sight of the cops, Kid would find a way to get this fucking bastard to free his gang from prison. Kid had no intention of even giving Law the chance to try and land his ass in jail.

As if Law could do that on his own with the position he found himself in now.

Kid gently nipped Law's lower lip with his teeth, and his smile grew at the little intake of air at the action. That was better. The red head kept his left hand tangled in Law's mussed up hair as his other hand drifted down to the dark haired lawyer's waist, where it slipped beneath the waistband and gripped the man's member. Kid's hand tightened in Law's hair when the other man a displeased sound and shifted, as if trying to make Kid let go of his more intimate part that the redhead currently held loosely in his right hand. Kid merely started to idly trail his hand along, intent on making Law squirm as much as possible before he released him.

Law held out for a few moments, before he seemed to lose himself in Kid's touch as his body went limp, and a faint whimper rose from him.

Encouraged by the sound, Kid increased the tempo of his hand, squeezing gently now and again, amused when Law started to buck his hips slightly as he moaned something incoherently against his lips. Satisfied that Law was more distracted by the hand job than his lips, Kid nipped at Law's lower lip again, pleased when the dark haired man tentatively parted his lips this time. Kid didn't waste any time in deepening the kiss, and plunged his tongue into Law's mouth, intent on getting as much of a taste as he could before Law thought to try and bite him. Which he did, once the lawyer's mind had caught back up with his body.

"Shit." Kid hissed as Law bit sharply into the kiss, and hastily drew back before the dark haired man could bite again. Kid also withdrew his hand from Law's pants, because it seemed like the lawyer had half the mind to lurch up and try to bite his arm. Which would have been funny if Kid didn't think that it might actually hurt. But a bleeding lip was nothing to Kid, as seeing Law with tears in his eyes, a humiliated expression and clearly aroused was rather satisfying. Mission accomplished. Kid turned away as he lifted a gloved hand and wiped at the blood on his lip. "…I didn't peg you as a biter."

"Fuck you. I hope that once you are in jail, those other monsters will tear you apart."

Kid sighed inwardly as he turned away, half rising from the bed. He did not have time to deal with this bullshit right now. He had an idea of how to deal with his 'providing proof' but to do so, he was going to have to rough Law up some more, and from the way the man was acting, he was only going to offer up more verbal abuse. Belatedly he realized that Law had risen and was now seated, but he sure as hell felt that sharp kick delivered to his backside. The unexpected kick sent him stumbling forward, where he cracked the side of his head against the son of a bitch's desk. Kid winced, feeling the sharp pain, and had to wonder if he was now bleeding. But the matter of whether or not he was injured vanished as he heard a rather low chuckle of satisfaction from Law.

The red head slowly stood, before he half turned and looked over his shoulder at Law. Something in his expression must have made Law realize that his action, while good retribution, was not the brightest of ideas while he had his hands secured behind his back. Kid stomped toward the bed, and he himself nearly laughed at the sight of Law skittering across the bed in some attempt to put distance between the two of them. "Think you're so damn funny, don't you? Do you have a death wish?" Kid snapped irritably as he went straight onto the bed, where he cornered Law against the head of the bed. Kid seized the blue haired man by the throat and pinned him down, weirdly turned on by the sight of Law gasping for breath. "Maybe I _should_ just kill you. I think they wanted to see a body anyway, and it would save me a lot of trouble trying to figure out what to do in place of that to keep you alive."

Law wheezed something, but Kid decided that he didn't particularly care what was being said. The bastard had had the gall to laugh at him, and Kid hated being ridiculed in any way. Kid hastily let go when he realized that Law had passed out, and felt only the tiniest bit guilty that he had choked the other man out. Which left Kid alone to dwell on the same question as before.

How the hell did he make it seem like he had killed Law, when in reality he hadn't?

-x

Law hated Eustass Kid.

It was the dark haired lawyer's first thought when he woke up from the newest abuse that Kid had decided to put him through. For a moment, Law had thought that the redhead might find it amusing to choke him to death, but as he was alive and breathing, it seemed more like some sick sense of humor on the Kid's part to physically demonstrate his power over him and the fact that he could change his mind about whether or not he found Law more interesting dead or alive.

There was the soft sound of muffled footsteps, and the sensation of being carried. At least, that was what it felt like. Law could feel arms beneath his legs, and the sensation of a broad and warm back where his head rested. Law wheezed out a faint laugh. He didn't even have to guess who would dare to carry him piggy-back like this, and there was nothing he could do about it. His arms were still secured behind his back, and with a peek through half open eyes, Law saw black material out of the corner of his eye. It appeared as though Kid had draped his black leather jacket over his shoulders to hide the fact that Law's wrists were bound. That was more of a smart move on Kid's part. Law wouldn't have thought the redhead would have been capable of doing something like that.

"Awake, are you? Do me a favor and don't make a fuss. I'm tired as fuck and just want to get some sleep." There was a short pause, before Kid continued, his words a bit more uncertain, "Are you cold? You didn't have any winter clothing in your closet."

"Inquiring after my well-being...I didn't think that you would care." Law wasn't sure how to explain that the apartment wasn't his full time home, but there was really no need for that. Kid didn't need to know. It was a slip up that Law had forgotten to bring along warmer clothes, but he guessed that Kid would merely attribute it to a crappy living place.

"S..shut the hell up. I just don't need you freezing to death or some stupid shit like that before I get back to my place." Kid grumbled, trying to cover up his embarrassment at the idea that he was asking if Law were all right, "You're a man lawyer, aren't you? Get clothes that match the time of year. If someone else had come, they could have injured you and left you outside to freeze to death."

Law didn't think that Kid could ever sound so sincere, and found that the embarrassment in the other man's was rather amusing. Law couldn't help but yawn. Kid's mention of getting sleep earlier sounded like a wonderful idea. His ass still hurt from Kid's abuse of him the first time, and Law was annoyed to find that he was still half hard from Kid's poor attempts to administer a blow job. Law could have done a better job half asleep. At the moment, Law was very demoralized and thrown off, and couldn't work up enough willpower to argue the point with Kid or do anything about his body. However, as soon as Law felt well enough, he was not going to leave Kid alone. He would harp on the brute, and hope that he would find an opening to deal with him accordingly. Kid couldn't have him restrained the whole time. He'd have to drop his guard and free his wrists sometime. And that would be when Law would act. Just as Law's eyes were about to close, he saw heard a soft 'meow' that made him bristle with indignation. "You are kidnapping my cat as well?"

"I ain't gonna leave your fur ball to starve. He can keep my cat company." Kid's voice took on a gleeful tone, "And you can keep me company."

"…I am not a pet, Eustass-ya." Law winced as the redhead's hands squeezed against his legs.

"You'll be whatever the fuck I want you to be, if you don't want me to off your scrawny ass."

Law let his head rest heavily between Kid's shoulder blades, but said nothing. Even he could tell that Kid was reluctant to even consider killing him. If Kid thought that his absence would go unnoticed, he was sorely mistaken. While Law ran his own cases as a defense lawyer, he was not the one running the show. Two other people that ran the firm he worked in, and Law knew that at least one of them would be worried about his well-being if he didn't show up for work the next day. The other one, Law thought irritably, was far more likely to dock his rate of pay and laugh at him for allowing something like this to even happen in the first place.

The blue haired man smirked as he closed his eyes. Either way, Kid was going to be in for a nasty surprise when he realized just how foolish kidnapping him had been. Though it would have been far worse for Kid had he actually gone through with his original plan to kill him.

The Donquixote brothers were quite keen on keeping their firm as one of the best places for people to hire lawyers and the like, and there would be hell to pay should one of the people they considered their own become threatened. It was as if the two men took personal offense to anyone messing around with anyone that worked under them.

Law supposed that, for once, he was grateful for that overly ridiculous protective nature. It made the cold night not seem so bad, even with what the future was likely to hold for him until someone came to rescue him. The longer the walk stretched out, the more Law begin to wonder if a mugger would come out of nowhere and give Kid a run for his money. That would add to the list of things that had gone very wrong so early in the morning.

Probably not, given how cold it was. It was still an entertaining notion.

Law had the uneasy feeling that Kid would crush any would be mugger either way, just from intimidation alone, and that wouldn't be so bad in the lawyer's mind if it weren't for the fact that the redhead was currently kidnapping him and his cat.

Kid remained silent, and Law became further demoralized when it became clear that no one would be around so early in the morning to help him. And he still ached from Kid's rough treatment of him earlier, though the heat radiating off of the redhead's back made it hard to stay awake and alert. Probably why the sly son of a bitch was carrying him around in this manner in the first place. Law's eyes closed as he sagged against Kid's back, though the dark haired man's lips lifted briefly in a smile when he felt a paw reach out from the cat carrier Kid held clasped beneath him in one hand, and felt little claws hook through his pants.

Stupid cat had no idea what was going on.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Thanks you for the reviews/favs/follows! I felt inspired to type, mainly because it seems like people are interested in reading more, and also because it's only been up for around three days. Hopefully I can keep this story entertaining. And because I was having fun typing this ridiculous thing, I will be posting the next chapter as soon as I finish editing it later tonight.

I've also decided that I'm going to do ~2500-4000 word chapters, give or take. So I think that the story will go past the guessed upon 15 chapters if I do it that way. It is a heck of a lot easier to edit shorter chapters (and easier to read it as well when there aren't too many scene jumps).


	3. Chapter 3

It just wasn't his day. It wasn't even eight in the morning and Smoker was already having to reprimand a couple of unlucky officers that he had in a room. If they didn't think he wasn't going to drag their sorry assess into headquarters early in the morning, they were sorely mistaken. He couldn't believe the report from a senior officer that had been on the scene from the night before. Smoker looked at each cop in the room in turn, and could see that they faintly flinched with the brief moment he focused on each one of them. The white haired man had already said most of what he had to say, but he wasn't done yet. "What kind of idiots are you for allowing a criminal to leave your sight to let them go make a phone call? You lot are lucky the rest of them didn't shoot you when they ran off! What are they teaching you in the academy?!"

One of the younger cops in the room cringed, but had worked up enough nerve to speak, "But Captain Smoker, we didn't have any reason to believe that that woman had anything to do with the rest of the criminals we apprehended."

"Use your damn head and take everything into consideration! Thanks to your little slip up, a number of criminals got away that we had been chasing after for three months. And it will not be easy to..."

A cell phone started to ring, and Smoker was about to add on to his lecture of not bringing in cell phones when he realized that it was his own.

"...er...Smoker, sir? Are you expecting a call...?"

Smoker was not at all pleased at being interrupted in the scolding of his subordinates by a phone call. But whoever was calling him knew not to bother him unless it was important, so he had to take it. "We will finish this later. Go about your duties." Smoker knew that his subordinates were glad to get away from him from their relieved expressions, but the white haired officer kept in mind to finish later as he watched his men slink away. He's rather take the call in private anyway. He didn't like that some of the newer recruits tended to get in over their heads. A new homicide or the like would just be a headache if any of them caught wind of it. Smoker supposed he was more irritable because he hadn't smoked a cigar yet that day, as he had just been trying to finish up a late night case. And that was when he had gotten a call early in the morning that those bumbling idiots on said case he was trying to finish up with went and screwed up, resulting in the criminals getting away. It landed him with even more paperwork than he wanted or needed to do, and was the reason that he had dragged them into headquarters to see how the hell it had happened. He was disappointed that even they didn't seem to know what was going on, on a case that they had been on in the first place.

The phone in his pocket continued to go off, and Smoker left the thought for another time. Right now, he needed to see what was so important that his cell was continually going off. Smoker dug out the cell to answer, and in the meantime, damned building regulations as he fished out a cigar with his other hand and lit it as he answered the call with a growl, "This had better be important, Tashigi. I have a lot of paperwork because the boys from last night in the north end of town screwed up and let caught criminals slip away."

_"Ah, I can help you with the paperwork later, sir, but you need to come over to an apartment down the road from where the raid was last night."_ Tashigi read off the address.

Smoker puffed away at his cigar in thought for a moment before he let out an exasperated breath. The address sounded familiar, and he had a bad feeling about it. "This isn't about the lawyer who had taken up temporary residence in that broken down place, is it?" With his luck, it would be, and that meant even more work for him, since he couldn't count on the low rung grunts of the police force that kept screwing things up. Tashigi confirmed his suspicions.

_"I'm afraid so, sir. Captain Vergo is here as well. He was the first to answer the call from one of the lawyer's neighbors. He was out training a few new officers. The neighbors didn't have any idea of Law's occupation, so it is safe to say that it was someone from outside the apartment responsible."_

"Responsible for what?" Wasn't Law there with Tashigi? His partner usually was more forthcoming with details about things. Was she holding something back?

_"...It looks like someone tied to rob the place, and there are traces of blood."_ Tashigi paused, before she added grimly, _"And there is no sign of Law. He was gone by the time we got here, and we aren't sure whether it was under his own power or not."_

Smoker drew out a second cigar and lit it. It really wasn't his day, but he needed to do his job. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Try to keep the newbies from contaminating the scene."

_"Yes, sir. See you soon."_

Smoker hung up and puffed away furiously at his two cigars. Damn. He was not going to like to be the one to break the news to Doflamingo that one of his high profile lawyers that worked for him was missing. It was headache that the white haired man just didn't need, but the sooner he got out to the apartment, the more he would know.

And with the information he learned, Smoker would then know how to proceed.

-x

The sight of yellow police tape blocking off a place was never a reassuring sight, and Smoker hoped that some idiots that he worked with weren't trying to make up reasons for it to be a homicide. Crime was hardly a rare thing in the city, but homicide was always something that the media enjoyed sensationalizing. And speaking of the media...the white haired officer caught sight of cameras being readied, the news reporters all but salivating at the chance for a new scoop. Smoker hastily went under the tape and into the apartment before he could be hounded by those few news reporters that had somehow picked up that something was wrong.

The yellow do not cross tape was also a big hint that all was not right, and Smoker hoped that things did not point to homicide. It was difficult enough as it was with over half the force being new and semi new recruits in the city. Most of them were not ready to handle higher level cases that might come their way, as their headquarters handled anything from traffic violations to murder to crime syndicates trying to get a foothold in their jurisdiction.

Smoker passed by uniformed cops, and made his way to the end of the hall, where the front door to an apartment was opened. Standing just inside the doorframe, the white haired police officer looked around until his eyes fell on a woman directing a few cops to put on gloves lest they contaminate any evidence. Smoker stomped toward her, "What the hell is going on Tashigi? Why are there so many men in this apartment? Have forensics gotten to it or are these idiots trying to make things even harder for them?"

At that, several of the younger cops in hearing range slunk out, while Tashigi turned to Smoker with a slightly harried look, "I'm sorry, sir. Some of them are new transfers to the city and haven't had a chance to do more than hand out traffic and parking meter tickets. They're excited that something happened while they were in the area on duty."

"And should be going about their duties instead of stopping to gawk." Smoker gave a shake of his head, "Never mind them for now. Did you learn anything else?" Smoker narrowed his eyes at a cop about to pick something up off the ground, and the sight of the scarred officer startled the newbie enough that he ended up tripping himself and landing on the ground. Smoker closed his eyes and let out a breath, trying to focus on what was important right now, "Was there any sign of a break in? Do you know where Law was last night before he came back here?"

Tashigi glanced down at a notepad that she held in her hand, "I leaned a little more since I talked on the phone with you. There was no sign of a break in, and we found that the door was left unlocked. According to one of the neighbors, he thought he heard something between midnight and one in the morning, but he couldn't be sure, because he admitted that he were a bit buzzed at the time, but swears he heard something." Tashigi flipped the page, and after adjusting her glasses, continued, "Law's phone was left behind in the apartment, as well as his credit cards and the cash he had with him. According to his phone, he made a call last night to cancel dinner plans. I had another officer call the number and confirm the time, as well as confirm that it was Law ho made the call. It was around 9 at night."

Smoker looked around the trashed apartment, "Any idea why the place is a disaster?" He had an idea, but wanted to see what his partner made of it.

"I think they were trying to cover something up, but I'm not sure what." Tashigi gave the immediate area once over, before turning back to the white haired officer, "Are you saying that this was deliberately done?"

Smoker shook his head, "Use your head, Tashigi. Law is gone and his place is trashed. This seems like a poor attempt at a robbery. Law is no pushover. You saw him over in the dojo that one time, remember? He can take care of himself when push comes to shove." Smoker frowned, "If someone's intention was robbery, and Law was making it difficult for them, I can only assume that the person that had broken into the apartment took Law by force when he didn't give them what they wanted."

"...A kidnapping? But the blood over there..." Tashigi pointed out the spot in the corner near the front door. "Wouldn't that indicate that Law was attacked?"

Smoker barely gave it a glance, "Maybe, but it isn't enough blood to kill someone, if it really is his blood. Put it in as a kidnapping at the station. The sooner that gets out to the rest of our officers, the sooner we can have people out looking for Law." Smoker glared at a nearby cop about to again touch something, "And get these idiots out of here and get forensics in before we're left with nothing. If I'm right and Law was taken from here by force, then there could be some evidence in this place that will tell us who thought it was a good idea to go and kidnap a lawyer."

"I'll take the report in myself." Tashigi was quiet for a moment, before she spoke uncertainly, "And are you going to talk to Law's...boss? I think he is going to find out one way or another, and he may even want to bring in someone from another jurisdiction. You know how he was when someone did a previous kidnapping on his secretary."

Smoker remembered that well enough. He wanted to avoid another scene like that in the future. It was not a memory that he wished to revisit any time soon. The white aired cop turned and headed for the entry way, "I'll have to, though I doubt it is going to do any good at first until he realizes that something did happen to Law. He's probably just going to laugh his ass off like he usually does when something like this happens. That smile of his is going to leave quickly one of these days when one of his people actually ends up dead. I'll be back at the office when you're finished here."

"Yes, sir. I'll let you know when forensics gets some preliminary findings."

Smoker continued to walk, unaware that he was being watched from one of the rooms in Law's apartment, as he had just stepped aside to let forensics go by.

If nothing else, this morning had turned out to be more interesting than Smoker had expected it to be.

-x

The phone was ringing, and if it had been within his power to do so, Doflamingo would have smashed it to bits and pieces with his mind.

The large man stretched out lazily and blindly flailed one long forearm around in his search of the phone, and cursed when he only succeeded in knocking the damn thing off the table. And yet the irritating ringing just continued on as if to mock him. Just as the blond was about to start the process of rooting around off the side of the bed for the noisy object, it was suddenly held before him in the air. Doflamingo blinked the bleariness from his vision as he looked at the phone, the hand that held it, before finally lifting his gaze to see the one who was holding it. Doflamingo was met with the curious look of his younger brother, whom he could tell was amused by his sleepy blundering for the phone.

"You're up early, Corazon." Doflamingo plucked the phone from his brother's hand, and stabbed at the screen with a finger until the phone call was answered. Holding the phone up to his ear, Doflamingo sat up as he ran his free hand over his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What is it?" Just because he had been woken up at what the fuck o'clock didn't mean he couldn't function if he had to. However, being up so late into the night and only getting a few hours of sleep did nothing to improve on his mood.

The other end of the line was quiet, and Doflamingo waited patiently for them to speak, aware of his brother's presence as the younger man slumped down into a seated position and leaned up against him quietly. Doflamingo absently dropped the hand that had been worrying at the bridge of his nose and draped the arm over Corazon's shoulders. "Well?" Doflamingo demanded into the speaker, when the caller failed to say anything for longer than he was willing to wait.

_"Sorry to wake you, but I thought I would let you know ahead of time that you are going to get a call from someone in the station in a few hours. It's about Law."_

Doflamingo closed his eyes, his jaw clenched as he thought about what the fuck that damn brat could have done to get the police on his case. He'd thought he's taught him better than that. "I thought that Law's case file was sealed and no one could get into it? What's happened, Vergo?" Doflamingo had made damn sure that no one would see it and the details it carried, in part because he felt that if Law couldn't remember it happening, it was all the better for everyone that had been involved. When the day came that he did remember...well, Doflamingo would figure out what to do when that time came. For now, it was easier just delegating cases to the blue haired man.

_"It's not about that. This is something else."_ Vergo paused for a moment, and there were footsteps that could be heard walking by. When it was gone, the other man continued to speak, _"One of Law's neighbors called and said they thought they heard something. When I came to check, no one was there, and the apartment is a mess. There's some blood around, and the others are talking about a homicide, even though there is not nearly enough blood to justify it."_

Doflamingo felt his brother tense next to him, obviously able to hear Vergo's voice. Doflamingo rested his arm more heavily over the younger man's shoulders as he spoke, "You seem to be thinking differently. What do you think happened?"

_"That it is a kidnapping. Captain Smoker is of a similar mind, so things will likely be put out as that and not a homicide. He has to just convince the rest of the force. He is already in the process of having the report turned in to make the rest of headquarters aware of the kidnapping. And if I have to go in myself and insist as well, there should be no problem. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with what happened last time. This just seems to be nothing more than a fool getting in over his head."_

Doflamingo cracked up at that, though he squeezed Corazon's shoulder reassuringly when his brother shot him a displeased look out of the corner of his eye. Still smiling, Doflamingo addressed Vergo, "I told him that he should have taken a bodyguard with him when he went to lie low before the trial was set to start. I guess this is what happens when you go live in a bad part of town. Are there any ransom notes?"

_"No, hence the reason I believe it was a sudden decision on the perpetrator's part. Smoker is of a similar mind. However, we are going to have some forensics done. There are some preliminary results, and while the perpetrator didn't leave any finger prints, it seems as though they did leave…other traces."_

Doflamingo laughed. He hadn't expected something like that to be said, and he had to lean his weight to keep Corazon from elbowing him sharply in the stomach, "Well, well, it seems that more than one crime was committed then. I had always wondered if anyone would want to jump Law. He certainly gives off the air of being a hard to get. Maybe our kidnapper decided he liked what he saw and decided to take advantage of it."

_"Why are you saying it is a he?"_

Doflamingo scoffed as he trailed his fingertips lightly along Corazon's shoulder, "Please. Unless you can find traces of female DNA there, it is quite obvious that the culprit is male. And obviously a fool if he didn't even think to cover up his tracks. Law wouldn't have gone down without a fight, and I think that he is more than capable of fending off someone smaller unless there had been two people."

_"He, if the culprit is male, at least tried to make it look like a robbery. The place is a mess."_

"Let me know what forensics says once they've finished and have the final report." Doflamingo said, a little too cheerfully. It was as though he found the whole thing highly entertaining, "In the meantime, try and see if anyone saw anything. If our kidnapper isn't too bright, then Law might even be able to get to a phone."

_"Right. I need to go. The others will wonder where I've gotten to."_

"Keep me updated."

There was an affirmative grunt before the connection cut.

Doflamingo leaned forward and carelessly dropped his phone onto the bedside table before he turned his attention to his brother, whom he could tell had an issue with the way the call had gone, "Is something the matter? Or are you just upset that I didn't pay any attention to you at the meeting last night?"

Corazon lifted a hand and shoved Doflamingo's arm off his shoulder so that he could shift to one side to face the older blond, "Shouldn't you be more concerned about this than you are? If what Vergo said is true, then Law has been kidnapped." Corazon's eyes darkened, "If he is harmed I hope that you know that I will make you regret it. He has been through enough as it is to get to where he is now. I won't let you ruin his hard work."

"Ah, you speak at last. I was wondering how long your quiet spell was going to last." It rather bothered Doflamingo when his brother would refuse to speak to him, although sometimes it was nice, because his brother had the tendency to be able to get on his nerves. Doflamingo tugged Corazon forward and held him to his chest, nuzzling the side of his neck. "Sometimes I think you're just trying to ignore me." Doflamingo's hands drifted down along Corazon's back, where his arms wrapped around his back in a loose hug just above the waist, "Or are you mad about last night after the meeting? I would have moved you, but you looked quite comfortable curled up in that chair."

"…When you are constantly out to get Law and try to make his life miserable with all of these stressful cases, you will not find me very receptive. You should have never given Law Ace's case in the first place. You know there's something bigger going on than what's on the surface, and this kidnapping is proof of that if someone is making a move before the trial has even begun." Corazon said in response, though he relaxed a little so that he could rest his head against the other's shoulder. The younger Donquixote brother let out a sigh, "And you should not have let Law go to that apartment on his own. And having a cat with him is hardly good security against another person. You could have sent someone after Law to keep an eye on him even if he had said no."

Doflamingo laughed lightly as he tilted Corazon's chin to the side so that he could leave a light kiss on his cheek, "I'm not an idiot, dear brother. What do you take me for? Of _course_ I sent someone to keep an eye on him. It's just a matter of whether they were around to see what had happened. They wouldn't work full time for me on such short notice. They could have gone on a break, though that would make tracking Law down more difficult."

"So shouldn't you have already known what happened to him?" Corazon asked crossly. "There had to have been signs. People watching the apartment, anything! And you just went to that meeting last night as if you didn't have a care in the world." Corazon let out an indignant gasp as he was shoved over onto the bed. He lie still for a moment, before the younger man let out a grumble as he rolled over onto his back and fixed his eyes on his brother, "You are such an asshole sometimes. I don't know why I even bother putting up with you anymore."

Doflamingo flopped back onto the bed alongside his brother, one arm moving to rest over his waist. Doflamingo closed his eyes and tucked his head against Corazon's shoulder and let out a sigh, "And despite all that, you still love me anyway, don't you? In some ways, you are more twisted than I. If I anger you so much, why don't you just leave?"

Corazon gripped Doflamingo's arm loosely as he gently trailed his fingers along. Corazon knew he had to be careful, as one wrong move or answer on his part could potentially set Doflamingo off. He knew that there was no use trying to leave, because Doflamingo would only find a way to drag him back. It was a trick question, "You know I will not leave." No matter how much he wanted to. Corazon's tone became light and slightly playful to hide the resentment he felt that there was no easy escape, "Who knows what you would do to the firm if I let you make the decisions on your own. You may start requiring shaded glasses to be part of the dress code." Corazon tapped his fingers against Doflamingo's arm, "And besides, I need to make sure you don't do something stupid that will land you in jail. You have a lot of enemies that our prosecutors have put away."

"Then why do you insist on being so difficult?" Doflamingo questioned, pressing himself closer. "It is hard to be around you when I can never tell if you are going to try and stab me in the back."

Corazon did not want this conversation right now, so he hastily switched topics to something he knew would distract Doflamingo "…you know, I think a lot of your problems could be solved by going to an escort service and…" Corazon bit his lip as Doflamingo butted his head against his chin to shut him up, the arm over his waist tightening, the older blond's voice soft with warning.

"I already told you not to bring that up. You know why already I will not think to do such things, even if we do have the money. Besides…" Doflamingo shook his arm free from Corazon and brought his hand up to turn his brother's head toward him. Similarly colored blue eyes looked back at his own, and Doflamingo's lips curled as he spoke, momentarily sidetracked when he noticed his brother's appearance, "You haven't had a chance to put on the makeup yet, have you?"

Corazon didn't try to move away when Doflamingo leaned over him, and merely closed his eyes to indulge in the kiss that he knew was coming. He could see it in the other's eyes, and Corazon didn't bother to fight it, because he knew that it would only get him into trouble. Corazon still didn't know why the hell his brother was so fixated on him these past few years, but at the very least, Corazon knew that no one else had to deal with Doflamingo's temper in a more intimate kind of setting. Had they not been related, Corazon might not have even been as torn about the whole matter, but he too had his own reasons for going along with his older brother's over the top affections for him. The most important reason being that it kept Doflamingo disinterested in Law, for one thing. After the hell that Law had been put through because of a few mistakes on the Donquixote bothers part, Corazon would keep it that way, and if Doflamingo was fine with the way things were, Corazon had no need to worry about anything for the time being. It would be worth any pain in the end if it kept Law relatively safe and happy.

Doflamingo was silent a moment, before he drew away and rested his head back against Corazon's shoulder, his hand dropping back to the other's waist. When he chose to speak, it was in a sleepy murmur, "…Answer the phone if it rings. I'm going to get a bit more rest."

Corazon opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling, and supposed that he should count himself lucky that Doflamingo was only in the mood to cuddle. He really wasn't ready for anything more after what had happened the night before. Corazon was fairly certain that there were going to be some new scars on his back in the next week. Not that anyone other than Doflamingo himself would notice. Corazon closed his eyes. It always amused him that everyone seemed to think that the two of them got along so well, but it was merely half an act on their part to appeal to their workers as well as their clientele. What went on behind closed doors was only to be kept between himself and Doflamingo.

The younger Donquixote brother just knew that rival law firms would fall over themselves to try and ruin the two of them should they ever find out just how deep his and Doflamingo's relationship actually ran. But right now, Corazon's only concern was what had happened to Law, and if that meant putting up with Doflamingo's twisted affections, then Corazon would do so.

Corazon didn't mean to drift off, but while he found himself on occasion to be intimidated by Doflamingo, his older brother's warm presence next to him right now almost felt comforting, if only because Corazon knew that his older brother was more than happy to eviscerate anyone that looked at him the wrong way. Morbid, but all the same comforting, that for now he did not have to worry about anyone coming after him. He had not thought that anyone would have gone after Law, but then again, the blue haired lawyer had gone against suggestions that had been made to him, which had made him more vulnerable. Corazon's last thought before he drifted off was that he hoped that Law would find a way to contact them.

Even now, Corazon had his doubts about Doflamingo's connections within the police force that collaborated with their firm. Someone needed to find Law, and find him now.

Who knew what his kidnapper was planning to do with him, aside from the obvious that had been alluded to by Vergo?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N:...why yes, there is DoflaCora in this for some reason, even though it is not the main pairing of this fic. I blame a tumblr post that showed the two of them together, and I found it weirdly attractive/hot (?) even though I normally don't ship siblings together because it's just too weird to write. However...I wanted to put the two of them into this fic anyway. I also wanted an excuse to have Doflamingo and Corazon in a love-hate relationship in order to annoy the hell out of Law in addition to Kid pestering him. I suppose I could have added incest (that's what it is, right?) to the warning. Though I doubt I'm going to actually write anything more than the kind of thing I just wrote with them in this chapter. Since, you know, this is meant to be a kidxlaw fic (damn attractive blonds go away -ugh- they made this chapter longer). On a related note, I do like to write Doflamingo as a complete and utter asshole with only a few redeeming qualities.


	4. Chapter 4

Law knew that he must have dozed off, because by the time he woke up he found that the temperature had changed. He was no longer cold, which meant that Kid had reached whatever destination he had had in mind. Law felt a slight swat on his nose, and his eyes slit open to glare at the culprit. He was greeted by the sight of his cat, and as soon as the animal saw that he was awake, there was a loud purr followed by a paw as it reached forward to poke him on the nose again. Law jerked his head away from the questing paw, and sat up on the couch that he had woken up on. Inwardly, Law was relieved that it was not a bed. It would be an unpleasant reminder of what might still be going through his kidnapper's mind.

And speaking of Kid…

The dark haired man looked around the small living room he found himself in, and couldn't help but be confused. He would have expected Kid to be there when he work up. The red haired man appeared to enjoy getting a rise out of him, and what better way to do so than to be there when he woke up in an unfamiliar place?

Then again, maybe Kid was just out of the room, and happened to miss his awakening. Either way, it was good for Law, because he was going to be able to try and get out of there. It was stupid of Kid to take his eyes off of him. The redhead should know better than to think that he wouldn't try and get away, given the chance.

"Meow."

At the unfamiliar sound, Law turned his head, and saw a tabby cat with darker orange and yellow fur staring up at him with typical cat indifference. Law gave it a look, before he let out a sigh and spoke quietly, "Don't let your human know I'm here." There was no way that Kid was master of the place. Even from where Law was seated, he could tell from claw marks that the redhead's cat had set itself up as ruler of the apartment. Not to mention that it appeared as though Kid doted on his pet with all of the cat trees and toys that were scattered about within Law's immediate view. "You're rather spoiled, aren't you?" The blue haired man questioned of the nearby feline.

Kid's cat yawned seemingly in response, before it stretched and hopped up onto a nearby chair to curl up, apparently disinterested in him now.

"Good kitty." Law praised, before he focused on what he needed to do in the time that Kid was apparently gone. The most important being somehow getting into contact with someone to let them know where he was. Wherever it was. Law started to rise from the couch he was seated on, and took one step, only to trip himself and collapse to the ground. Law sucked in a harsh breath as he came into contact with the floor, and held still for a moment. That had been a rather loud sound, and the dark haired lawyer waited with baited breath to see if his fall had alerted anyone other than the two cats that were currently staring at him as if he were a moron. When nothing happened other than Law himself feeling foolish, the dark haired man sat back up, and glanced down to see why he had tripped. And stared.

Apparently, Kid had anticipated for him to try and sneak away.

How inconvenient. Law had hoped that Kid had been the idiot he had first taken him for.

The blue haired man scowled at the shackles that hobbled his movement to a mere shuffle, and eyed the short length of chain between the cuffs secured around his ankles with displeasure. Odd, if Kid had had those, then why had he bothered with the zip tie earlier that day? Law could deal with it, for now. The shackles were merely meant to limit his movements, not stop them. He could still move, but Law knew that he would just have to be sure not to trip himself again. A tug at his back confirmed that his hands were still tied, though the material felt softer, which meant that Kid had changed whatever he had secured his wrists behind his back with while he had been asleep.

Annoying.

Law carefully got to his feet, and shuffled to the edge of the living room, before he felt a tug at his feet again. Law glanced down, and to his immense displeasure, found that Kid had attached some kind of rope to the shackles to prevent him from getting too far away. More and more Law was getting frustrated with Kid's forethought about things. Law had really hoped that he could do something of use before the redhead returned to what Law presumed was Kid's apartment. Law took a steadying breath, before he looked around to see what he could do right now. There wasn't much around the living room other than a TV and some magazines.

The blue haired man's eyes fell on a house phone that was on a table next to the chair that Kid's cat was dozing on. A landline phone. Interesting. Law smiled. It was within his reach, and the only problem would be that he would need to remove it from where it was, and dial a number. Law carefully shuffled over to the phone, and sat down on the arm of the chair nearest to where the phone was. Law turned and reached over, able to knock the phone off, though it fell to the ground with a clatter. Law supposed he was grateful that it was really old fashioned, in that it had a cord attached to it. At least the sound hadn't appeared to give him away. Yet. Law eyed the numbers next to where the phone had sat. Now, to dial the number before getting on the ground and attempting to speak to whoever he called.

Law had half a mind to call his friends that worked in the police department, but knew that none of them were high enough up on the food chain of the office that they would be able to get anyone to take them seriously, unless Law was still on the phone. The dark haired lawyer made a sound of disgust, and guessed that he would have to go with plan B. Law knew that the best way to get someone to do something was to get ahold of Doflamingo, as much as he didn't want to have to ask for the other man's help. It would no doubt result in not being paid for a case or two, and he would have to do the work anyway, and do it well.

The dark haired lawyer sighed. It would be worth the trouble to get out of the mess he suddenly found himself in right now. And time was of the essence, as he had no idea where Kid had gotten to or when he would return. Law twisted his body so that he could reach the numbers with his fingertips, though he stopped short of pressing them when he realized he had forgotten one crucial detail.

He couldn't remember Doflamingo's number, nor the one for the police station, as he had entered them into all into his cell phone and had never bothered to try to memorize them.

Law nearly groaned. He couldn't believe it had never crossed his mind that he might be separated from his cell phone. Law also had never expected to be kidnapped, as it was naturally assumed that it would never happen to someone like him. And now he was paying for it, if he couldn't even remember a…

Law's eyes widened a fraction. Wait. He did remember a phone number. And as much as he had disliked having it drilled into his mind, he now felt grateful for all of the hassle. He had no idea why the other man had been so insistent that he learn it, but Law was more than willing to allow the other man some allowances. He had helped him out a lot in the past, and memorizing a phone number was hardly a terrible thing to have to go through.

Glancing over his shoulder, Law carefully punched in Corazon's phone number. As soon as Law finished dialing, he dropped to the ground and rested his head against the floor alongside the phone that had fallen on the ground earlier. Law waited with baited breath, and hoped that Corazon had not left it somewhere he wouldn't hear, or was a way on business and had it off. The phone ringing was a good sign, and Law nearly wanted to cry in relief when the call was picked up, "Cora-san?" Law heard an intake of disbelief on the other end of the line.

"_Law? You're all right?"_

Damn, it was good to hear a familiar voice. Even if he had just spoken with Corazon two days ago. Law listened to see if there was any sign of Kid coming back, before he answered the question, "For the most part, yes. It appears as though I should have listened to your brother about taking a bodyguard with me."

Corazon's voice was guarded, _"Why is that?" _

"Because the one who kidnapped me had the original intention to kill me. I guess I am flattered that this man found me attractive enough that he probably thought it would be a shame to kill me. He certainly seems to be twisting himself in knots about how to pretend that he's killed me to fool those that had hired him." There was silence on the other end, "…Cora…?"

"_He was sent to kill you?"_

Law blinked at the controlled rage in the other man's voice, and hastily spoke, "I'm not injured, just…sore, I guess. Nothing I can't recover from. I just got very lucky."

"…_That doesn't change the fact that someone had wanted you dead. I told Doflamingo that it was a bad idea to let you stay in that part of town all alone."_ Corazon sounded upset now.

"It was my fault for insisting that I go undercover until the time I was to go speak to my client before the trial." Law said. "It seemed like a good idea at the time to keep a low profile."

"_Where are you, Law? I will come get you myself. I don't trust the police not to take longer than necessary. And Doflamingo seems to be treating your kidnapping as a lark. He isn't taking it seriously at all."_

"He doesn't usually anyway," Law said darkly, "I am not surprised. But you can't just leave, Cora-san. What if the same people that tried to get this guy to kill me want to go after everyone in the firm? Wouldn't they practically be salivating at the idea of getting one of the two who run the show?"

"_I do not care about that. Besides, they would be foolish to attack myself or my brother. I am not leaving the police to dig around for clues when I can find you myself. Now where are you?"_

"Honestly? I have no idea. He carried me away from my apartment, and at that point I had already been unconscious once. He…" Law let out a helpless laugh, "He kidnapped my cat as well, but at least I do not have to worry about him starving or being put up for adoption or the like. He was a present from a friend."

Corazon, despite obviously wanting more information, sounded amused, _"Bepo? The cat named after one of your friends?"_

"The same. It was kind of a joke at first but the name stuck. And the bearer of the same name found it flattering, while Shachi and Penguin teased him about it, and then me."

Corazon sounded worried again, _"Law, I need you to try and figure out where you are."_

Law heard a click of the front door to the apartment, "Damn."

"_Law?"_ Corazon's voice grew further concerned, _"What is it?"_

"He came back. All I can say is that it is a better apartment than my own, with a larger window and patio that overlooks a part of the city. There are curtains, so I can't see outside."

"_Do you know who it is that kidnapped you, Law? A name? A description?"_

Law heard heavy footsteps, an intake of breath, and then a curse. Law opened his mouth, but only got the 'e' out before Kid's hand clamped over his mouth, muffling his words that would have incriminated the red head.

"_Law?"_ Corazon had to have heard the start of a name, and apparently seemed to realize that Law's captor had returned sooner than the dark haired man had expected. Corazon's voice became hostile as he addressed whoever it was that had prevented Law from speaking, _"If you harm him, you will find that there will be nowhere you can hide. I will find you."_

Law felt Kid's hand twitch against his mouth, before the redhead reached over with his free hand as he picked the phone up and set it back down on the receiver with a click. The dark haired man held perfectly still as the same arm wrapped around his waist loosely to pull him up against Kid's chest. Law could feel the redhead's heart racing, and felt vindictive pleasure that he had given the other man a scare. Kid certainly deserved it.

"Who the hell did you call?" Kid questioned as he dropped his hand from Law's mouth, as if he had expected the blue haired lawyer to actually give him a response.

Law cast a glance over his shoulder at Kid, a nasty smile in place, "Someone who would be more than happy to toss you out a window and set your body on fire to burn the evidence should you keep me hidden for much longer." Law didn't even flinch as Kid hoisted him up and carried him over to the couch.

"I am starting to think that you're going to be too much trouble." Kid grumbled irritably.

"Your fault for leaving me all alone. Did you expect me to just lay here and wait for you to come back without doing anything?" If Kid did, then he was more of an idiot than Law had initially believed.

Kid laughed and sat down on the couch next to him, "I guess not. Most people wouldn't have thought to try and make a call."

"Because they would have been too intimidated at what could follow as a punishment for doing so?" Law closed his eyes and turned his head away from Kid, "Unless you are going to through with killing me for making a call?"

"Nah, I don't think so. You're too entertaining to kill."

Law felt one of Kid's arms curl around his back and pull him up against his side. The dark hired man felt Kid's chin rest on top of his head, "If you were wondering where I was, I went to go see if I could get an extension on the hit. They weren't very happy, but as they didn't want to get involved themselves, and since they knew it wasn't my strong suit, they were willing to give me another week to get it done."

"Joy. So I am to be with you for another week until you decide what to do about me." Law tensed when he felt Kid's other hand trace the waistband of the pants he wore. "You are an animal. Control yourself. I am still sore from you imposing yourself on me earlier this morning."

"Was it really only this morning? Seems longer than that."

Law felt Kid cuddle him closer, and let out an exasperated breath, "You are horrible."

"Hm, keep telling yourself that. I bet you like it." Kid's hand slipped down Law's pants.

"Excuse me? Since when would I enjoy someone doing something against my will? Get your damn hand out of my pants." Law jerked to the side, away from Kid, but didn't make much of a difference since Kid held him against his side.

"Maybe I'll let you go back to bed…if you tell me who you called."

"Your attempts blackmailing are pathetic. I have nothing to say to you." Law looked anywhere but Kid.

"Too bad. I guess I'll have to try again later this afternoon. I'm gonna go get some more sleep."

"Do go. I could use some more time to myself." Law watched Kid after he had let go of him, and wondered why the red head was fiddling with something on the ground, "And what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Chains jangled, and before Law could even blink, Kid had turned and scooped him up in his arms. "I'm taking you to bed with me. I ain't gonna let you get another call in. I don't need the police to raid my place so soon."

Law wriggled within Kid's grasp, but with his hands still securely tied behind his back, there wasn't much good it would do him. "You are not going to get away with this you know. The longer you continue to delay things, the more trouble you are going to be in."

Kid kicked the bedroom door shut behind him, and set the dark haired lawyer on the bed as he stooped down and used another length of rope to go through the shackles on Law's ankles, and attached it to the foot of the bed. Satisfied that Law couldn't get far if he chose to try and get out of the bed, Kid lay down.

"I am not sleeping in the same room as you." Law said tartly, as he edged toward the side of the bed. He would lie on the floor if he had to, even if it would be uncomfortable.

"Damn, just get the hell over here, Trafalgar. You're so fucking stubborn." Kid reached up and tugged on the other man's arm, intent on getting Law to lie down and chill the hell out.

The dark haired man tried to resist, but it ended in failure as he merely ended up on the bed next to Kid after another, harder tug. The redhead wasted no time in wrapping his arms around Law and holding him close. Nothing was said between them, as Kid was already attempting to fall asleep.

In the meantime, Law was furiously trying to figure out how to get himself out of this situation. He could only hope that Corazon would be able to do something with the short call they had had with one another.

-x

Corazon was about to just storm out the door when he remembered that he needed to change into some clothes for the day, and to touch up his face. It would be rather undignified to go out in heart patterned pajamas, even if it would probably just amuse the general populace. Why Doflamingo insisted that he keep wearing the makeup on his lips and beneath his right eye was a mystery, but Corazon did admit that it made it hard for some people to really take him seriously, which could be worked to his advantage. And right now, that would be useful, because he needed to go to the police station headquarters and get into contact with someone he knew there. He could only hope that man was willing to let him help with the search for Law. He had been so close to getting a name before they had been interrupted by Law's assailant.

Corazon spent a few moments in front of a mirror to better see what he was doing to his face, and put the finishing touches. He had leaned to do it more quickly so that it didn't take up much of his time anymore. He had also managed to shoo Doflamingo away when his brother had started to want to try and put the makeup on himself. Corazon shook his head as he set things aside, and did a quick check in the mirror. A little sloppy of a job, but he was in a hurry. He'd fix it later, if he felt the need. The younger Donquixote brother had already thrown on a white dress shirt and black slacks, and had tugged on a hood that would make him seem less like someone that was the lead of a law firm. He rather liked the way it could shade his features if he tugged it on the right way. Corazon cast about for the sunglasses he wore with the ensemble to make that more effective, when he saw a hand reach over in his peripheral vision to pick up the glasses.

"Are you going out?"

Corazon schooled his expression and turned to glance up at Doflamingo, and watched as his brother toyed with the glasses between thumb and forefinger, a cheerful smile on his face. Corazon held out a hand, and hoped that Doflamingo would not give him any grief for going out on his own,"Yes, I thought I would go out and see if anything more has been leaned since this morning."

Doflamingo studied Corazon for a moment, his expression difficult to pin as he was now wearing shades of his own. "Or we could wait for Vergo to call."

Corazon stood up and turned around to face Doflamingo. From the sight of the smile widening, he knew better than to make too much of a fuss. But after he had finally heard from Law, he was not going to let Doflamingo overly delay him, no matter the consequences that might happen later. Corazon reached out and took the sunglasses from his brother, who let him easily enough. Corazon slipped them on, before he faced the door, "I'd like to see things for myself. It can get boring just sitting around and waiting." Corazon held still as Doflamingo's hand fell onto his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

"…see you later, then. There's a brief meeting scheduled for tonight, so don't forget about it." Doflamingo dropped his hand from his younger brother's shoulder, before he gave the shoulder a pat. "It's about another upcoming trial."

Corazon walked a few steps away before he raised a hand in a slight wave in response as he exited the room, and headed for the front door. He knew that Doflamingo wasn't particularly happy with his insistence in getting involved, but his brother could find a way to amuse himself. No doubt there were some people that he could menace. Corazon knew that there was more than just Ace's and the other potential trial mentioned. It wasn't his problem right now, and it would be good to get some fresh air.

Corazon began to walk down the sidewalk toward the police station, and hoped the man that he wanted to speak to would be there. Corazon planned to mention at a later time to Doflamingo that he had heard from Law. For the time being, Corazon was going to keep the call he had shared with Law a secret.

-x

Smoker wasn't sure how much more of his subordinates blunders he could handle that day when his office phone rang. With a scowl at an officer passing by his office, Smoker picked up the phone, "Yeah, what is it?"

"Someone here to see you sir." The secretary's voice dropped to a whisper, "It's one of the Donquixote brothers."

Smoker wondered which one, but didn't bother asking, since he would be seeing them one way or another, "Send him in." Might as well get it over with. He was already stuck in the office as it was for a few more hours anyway.

"Yes, sir."

Smoker hung up, and in no time at all, a tall figure entered his office, and closed the door behind him. The white haired police officer relaxed a bit upon recognizing the other man. It was the younger brother, Corazon. Smoker preferred speaking to him over Doflamingo, as the younger man seemed to take things more seriously when it came to what could happen to the people who worked for his and Doflamingo's law firm. "You wanted to see me?"

Corazon didn't bother with the two small chairs in the room. Instead, he remained standing where he was as he removed his sunglasses, and looked across the desk at the cop seriously, "I just spoke to Law."

Whatever Smoker had expected to hear, that certainly wasn't it. "When?"

"Not thirty minutes ago. I left as soon as I could to come here." Corazon's expression became troubled, "Our conversation was interrupted, however, by whomever kidnapped him."

"How long were you on the phone with him?"

"A minute or so." Corazon responded, shifting from foot to foot restlessly.

"I don't suppose your phone picked up the number? We might be able to figure out where the call was made from."

Corazon stared at Smoker a moment, before he fished his cell phone out of his pocket, and searched the recent calls. His face fell at what he found. "It says that it is an unknown number."

Smoker held out a hand, "I can have one of my boys check it. A number may show up if I have them search the databases. It seems like the guy that took Law has committed a crime before if he has a phone that isn't attached to a number."

Corazon was reluctant to hand his phone over, and said as much, "I'd like to keep it, in case Law gets a chance to call again."

Smoker studied Corazon for a moment, before he let out a sigh and rose, "Come with me. I can do it myself. If he does somehow manage to call again, we can try and track it." Smoker walked past Corazon, and opened the door to his office, "This way." Smoker pretended that he didn't hear Corazon trip and fall over, but he did glare at a few of the younger officers and secretaries that snickered and giggled at the sight of the large blond that was sprawled out on his back. Once he heard Corazon stand back up, Smoker began to walk again, and led the way to another room, where he closed the door as soon as Corazon had ducked and gone inside.

"Ah, Captain Smoker! Did you need something?" A long-nosed teen looked up from what he was doing in a corner with some electronics. "We haven't had a chance to finish doing an analysis on Law's cell phone yet, if that's what you're here for."

"Where's Franky, Usopp? I thought he was doing the analysis with you?" Smoker questioned as he waved Corazon to come forward.

"I think he said something about getting a drink. He should be back soon." Usopp set aside what he was doing, "Then again, that was an hour ago, so maybe not."

Smoker didn't bother getting into this right now. The transfer from another city could wait to be dealt with later. He indicated Corazon, "I need you to check and see if an unknown number that called his cell will have a match in any of the databases."

"A call?"

"From Law."

"Really?" Usopp dropped what he was doing and went over to a computer, where he started untangling cords as he booted up the system. "Wow, so does that mean he was really kidnapped?"

"It would seem so." Smoker said shortly, before he spoke to Corazon, "Let him have the phone. We'll see if we can get any information."

Corazon stepped forward and handed over his phone to Usopp's waiting hand.

Usopp hooked the phone to a cord and started to type on the computer, "Just give me a second." The long nosed teen stared at the screen a few moments, before speaking again, "The unknown call from a forty minutes ago?"

"Yes." Corazon stated, though he was looking at the phone and not Usopp, as if hoping that the phone would ring again.

"It's searching the system right now. Give it a moment…" Usopp frowned after a moment, "That's odd. It isn't showing a number for it."

"And why would that be?" Smoker asked as he crossed his arms.

"Well, the only untraceable numbers would be used by gangs and the like if they don't want to be tracked. All I can say is that it seems like it is a landline and not a cell phone."

Before Smoker could ask Usopp why that was, the cell phone began to go off.

Corazon nearly tripped as he made a reach for the phone, before Smoker seized his wrist and stopped him.

"Wait." Smoker said simply, and turned to Usopp, "Do you have the tracker?"

"On it." Usopp said, fumbling with another cord and hooking it up to the cell phone. After pressing a button on a small machine connected to the phone, Usopp nodded, "It's ready."

"Answer it." Smoker said, as he let go of the other man's wrist.

Corazon needed no second bidding as he answered the call, and wasted no time in speaking, "Law?"

_"Corazon."_ Law's voice was barely a whisper, _"His name is Eustass Kid."_

The name did not mean a thing to Corazon, though it wasn't lack of trying to figure out if he had heard a name. It was because he was distracted by what happened as soon as the blue haired man had spoken. The blond bristled with anger when he heard Law let out a pained grunt, and Corazon could only imagine that someone, likely this Kid, had harmed the dark haired lawyer in some way. Which was not okay. Corazon was rather pleased, however, that the fool had chosen to speak this time around, and paid careful attention to familiarize himself with the voice, should he happen across the other man in the future.

_"What the hell are you doing? How the fuck did you even get my phone outta my pocket with your hands behind your back?"_

Corazon wanted to throttle the son of a bitch right now if he was insinuating that he had tied Law up.

Law's voice had taken on a hint of amusement, _"…The phone is still on, you know. Idiot. I hope you like the jail cell they will put you in, if the guy I called doesn't find you first."_

_"Shit."_

The phone went dead.

As Corazon stared wordlessly at the phone, Smoker looked over at Usopp, "Was that long enough to get a lock on his location?"

"…I can try and see if it was." Usopp typed away at the computer, before his brow creased in confusion. "I got the phone number, but I can't get a lock on the location where the cell phone is. I think that guy disconnected the phone."

Corazon was not at all happy, but hearing from Law again was better than nothing. The blond haired man turned to leave. A name was more than enough to go track down the man that had dared to do this to Law.

The sooner he found this Eustass Kid, the sooner he could crush him for what he had done.

Corazon was momentarily sidetracked as he ended up tripping himself again on the way out the door, and causing a ruckus in the hall by making someone lose the stack of papers they were holding as he fell.

Smoker sighed and watched as the papers fluttered through the air, and some landed to rest on the sprawled out Corazon.

It was going to be a really long day.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Still feeling motivated to type.

And for an FYI, the Corazon and Doflamingo stuff in the chapter before is mainly to explain why they will act the way they do around one another in future chapters. And as for those future chapters, there will start to be more kidxlaw stuff and some fluff between Law and Corazon when they eventually cross paths (_not_ in a pairing way, but more of a protective Corazon that doesn't like people picking on Law and Law being exasperated but grateful).


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of Kid's plans for the day had been officially ruined by Law and the call he had made.

The redhead would have loved to get some rest after having dealt with the people that had hired him to off Law. Kid just hadn't factored in the idea that Law would take advantage of his weariness despite the fact that the redhead had had his arms wrapped loosely around the other man's waist. Kid supposed that he should have known better than to think that Law wouldn't try something again, even with his hands secured behind his back. Sometimes Kid hated that fact that he could doze off so quickly, but he also happened to be a light sleeper, so he had been awoken by the odd sensation of something being removed from his pocket, and the barely there whisper of the dark haired lawyer's voice as he spoke to someone.

That alone had woken Kid up quick enough, and he had lunged for the phone near where Law had it on the bed. Kid had been so wrapped up in removing the phone when he realized that he had let his weight settle too much onto the other man. Kid had hastily shifted to one side after Law had let out a surprised yelp of pain. After that brief argument the redhead had had with Law, Kid was pissed, to say the least, when he realized the phone was still on. At the grimly amused look on the lawyer's face, Kid had hastily cut the call and frantically searched through the phone's settings to turn off the tracking feature on the phone. The redhead hoped that whoever had been listening in hadn't thought to look for his location while the bloody thing had been able to be tracked.

As soon as he finished and made sure that there was no way to track down his phone, Kid tucked it back in his pocket with a mind of putting it far out of Law's reach. He would get another phone altogether under a false name if he had to, especially if someone would be able to track him down if he turned it on or used the damn thing. "Fuck." He had some people he wanted to contact that he was on semi-decent terms with, but that could be left until later. So long as he didn't turn his old phone on for to long before he was ready to ditch it. Kid heard Law let out a half amused, half mirthless laugh as the blue haired man chose to comment on his actions.

"There's no use doing that. They know your name now, and they will be able to find out where you live and the places you go. The person who I called works with the police on occasion, so it is only a matter of time before someone comes calling on you here."

Kid looked down at where he still had Law pinned to the bed, and instead of losing his temper at the smug smile, he merely drew away with a laugh, "They'll have to check a lot of places then. I have several hideouts around the city."

Law made as best a shrug as he could from where he was lying on the bed, "Still only a matter of time. I wonder if I can just bypass the system to get you put into jail more quickly."

"Would you stop with that already? You already made it clear where you want me. You don't have to keep on repeating yourself and being an asshole about it." Kid grumbled as he got up off the bed and headed over to his dresser.

Law watched Kid's progress with a wary expression at the redhead's intentions, "Why not? It is not like I have anything else I wish to speak to you about."

Kid ignored Law for a moment as he dug around in the dresser drawers, before he grinned triumphantly when he found what he was looking for. The redhead turned around, and his grin must have shown, because Law culed up defensively on the bed with a heated glare. Kid laughed at the sight. At the moment, Law almost looked like his cat when he had first come across her in an alley. Scared and all alone and not sure what to make of the redhead who was trying to calm her down and take her out of the rain. Kid put a halt to that thought immediately, because he was fairly certain that the other man would not want to be attributed to a stray cat.

As soon as that thought took root, however, Kid suddenly decided that he found it hilarious as hell. It had been his intention anyway to make Law miserable enough to make him break down and get him to help release his gang from jail. Kid supposed he couldn't be too rough with the lawyer if he wanted things to work in his favor.

Law must have not liked the silence, nor the sight of the handcuffs that Kid held in one of his hands, "You are not going to restrict my movement further, are you? I am going to have to eventually shower and use the bathroom." He'd already resigned himself to the fact that he would be around Kid for a time before someone could find him.

"Like I'm gonna let you have use of your hands straight away. I'm not that big of an idiot." Kid responded as he crossed the room back over to the bed. He was again reminded of a cat when Law pushed himself up and scrunched against the head of the bed with a pointed warning glare. But Law obviously knew if would do no good, as he currently wasn't in the best position to prevent Kid from doing anything. The redhead slid onto the bed and gripped Law's bare shoulder as he tugged him forward.

Law didn't come willingly, but could do nothing more than allow himself to be manhandled as Kid turned him around. The blue haired lawyer did go still once he realized that Kid was undoing whatever bound his wrists.

Kid knew what was coming, or what Law was likely to try, so as soon as he got the other man's wrists untied, he gripped both wrists in one hand to prevent Law from turning or gaining use of his limbs right away. Kid rested his head on Law's shoulder, his grasp tightening slightly as he spoke matter of fact. "I'd rather not have to keep you tied up all the time, so if you behave, I'll eventually leave the handcuffs and shackles off. Until then, they're gonna be there until I decide what to do about 'providing proof' of your not so dead body, and where the hell to go before the cops find this place. It may take 'em awhile to find out about this one in particular." Kid could feel Law strain to free his hands, and gripped a little harder until the dark haired man desisted. "And to let you know, I locked the chain that's connected to the shackles around your ankles."

"Wasn't it rope?"

"Small link chain." Kid supplied, before he continued where he left off, "So don't get any cute ideas. Even if you get the upper hand on me, I don't have the key anywhere nearby to the lock, so you'll still be stuck in this room." Kid indicated the length of the chain on the ground, "There's enough give in the chain that you can get to the bathroom and stuff."

"...I am not showering while shackled."

Kid snorted at the indignation in the other man's voice, "Who the fuck said you're gonna shower any time soon?" When there was no forthcoming response, Kid slowly let go of Law's wrists. He waited, careful to stay behind the other man, as Law brought his hands in front of his body and stretched them. While the dark haired man flexed his arms, Kid took the time to appreciate the way Law's muscles flexed. It looked like he worked out on occasion, though Kid knew he had him outmuscled should Law try something with his newly freed hands.

The redhead almost laughed when he saw the movement of Law sharply twisting to one side. He guessed the blue haired lawyer didn't like being told what he could do after all. Kid ducked beneath the arm, before he pushed up against Law's back with enough force that it sent him sprawling face down onto the bed. Kid immediately settled over him, and felt a shiver run throughout the other man's frame before he started to buck wildly in an attempt to throw Kid off. Luckily for Law, Kid wasn't in the mood for sex at the moment. The redhead undid the handcuffs in his hand, before he wrestled both of Law's hands over his head so that he could clamp the metal over each of the dark haired man's wrists, and closed each one with a click.

Kid rolled off of Law before the other man could react, and retreated to the bedroom door. The redhead watched as Law shoved himself up and out of the bed and advanced on him with complete and utter hatred in his eyes. It was a rather inappropriate time to consider Law's desire to cause him harm in some way arousing. Kid took one step back with a faint smile.

Law paused for a moment as he kicked at the line connected to the shackles to his ankles, before he started to advance again. "You are not keeping me chained up like some animal. Take them off now." At the sight of Kid's still smiling expression, Law resisted the urge to growl a curse, and merely lunged at Kid in the hopes that he would be able to get a handful of Kid's tight fitting black t-shirt. Law made a frustrated hiss as the line stopped and his handcuffed hands, instead of grabbing Kid, merely brushed his fingertips against the other man's chest.

That son of a bitch had just stepped out of range.

Kid couldn't help but like the expression on Law's face when he realized that he couldn't reach him, even if he stretched out his hands at the red head. Kid's grin grew as he spoke aloud something Law's actions made him think of, "Trying to be a zombie, Trafalgar?"

Law dropped his arms at that, and instead of saying something in return, the blue haired lawyer settled for staring unblinkingly at the redhead.

Kid found the response rather creepy when he really thought about it. It was as if Law were considering what to do with him as soon as he stepped within range. Kid had, however, liked the light touch of Law's fingertips when the other had made a grab for him. The slight attempt at intimidation on Law's part was lost entirely when a loud grumble came from the dark haired man's stomach. Kid grinned at the frustrated look that appeared on Law's face, "Hungry?" It was obvious that the other man was when another gurgle followed.

Law mustered as much dignity as he could to cover the fact that his stomach was betraying him. At another particularly loud gurgle and the sight of a massive grin on the redhead's face, Law proceeded to flip Kid off as he turned his back on him to go sulk on the bed in silence.

"I'll go make some lunch then." Kid said in amusement, further entertained when Law decided to look over his shoulder at him with a harassed expression. With a grin in return to the scowl that followed when the two men made eye contact, Kid headed for the kitchen. Thoughts of what he would make for lunch vanished briefly when Kid got to the kitchen itself, as furred bodies suddenly crashed into his legs and began to rub up against him. Kid smiled a little less mockingly as he reached down to give the two cats a few tail rubs. "Ok, ok, I'll feed you guys too. Be patient."

Kid's words were met by loud yowls and more head-butts by the two hungry felines, neither of whom appeared to be content to be patient.

"Are you frickin' kidding me?" Kid asked in exasperation. The redhead reached over and scooped up his cat to bring the feline up to his eye level, "I just gave you food two hours ago, Kat. Law's cat is probably hungrier than you are." Kid held Kat up against his shoulder to bump heads with his pet, and sighed as the inevitable purring began, "Fuck. You're gonna clear out all the money I nabbed from that idiot on the street the other day." Kid's smile softened as he tickled the tabby on her stomach with his other hand, "And you're gonna get chubby and not be able to chase after any mice if you keep insisting on more food."

Kat wriggled free of Kid's grasp and landed lightly on the floor, where she then proceeded to bump and rub up against Kid's leg, twining through his legs and meowing incessantly with increasing urgency.

Kid shook his head wordlessly as he crossed over to a cabinet and took out a can, which only increased Kat's efforts to get his attention. Kid noticed that Law's cat had leapt up on the counter, and he reached over to shoo the feline off the surface, "Hey, hey, I'm going to cook there. Get your furry ass off there. I don't wanna eat car hair in my food." Law's cat made a displeased sound as Kid gently maneuvered the white haired feline off the counter. Kid opened the can, and inwardly marveled at the fact that Kat hadn't chosen to take issue with the presence of Law's cat yet. He would have expected it given the way he had found her.

As Kid fed the two cats, one on one side of the kitchen and one on the other, just in case, the redhead found his mind start to drift. And arrive at the entirely inappropriate thought of the blue haired lawyer doing something similar to get his food. Kid busied himself by looking through the refrigerator, though he could not shake off the thought. Kid was disturbed that the thought of Law curled around his legs and giving him a sultry look kind of turned him on. And it had nothing to do with Law begging him for food, as it did the dark haired man moving his hands along sensually and slowly as he made his way up to...

Shit.

Law would definitely find a way to murder him if he even suggested he do such a thing, and Kid had no doubt the other man would find a creative way to kill him given the chance.

Angry growling and hissing brought Kid's attention back to the cats, and with a sigh, went to separate the two of them. It appeared as though Kat had changed her mind about being a gracious host to the unfamiliar cat Kid had brought home with him.

Kid wondered if it would be this way between himself and Law until the other man calmed down. As Kid shut Law's cat into a spare room and picked Kat up to reassure her, Kid wondered why he would care if Law calmed down or not. The redhead had kidnapped him, so there was no reason for the lawyer to become less hostile toward him.

Disappointing, really, because Kid was beginning to like the idea of keeping Law around for longer than he initially thought he might.

-x

As soon as Corazon had righted himself, he had started to pick up the papers that he had caused to be scattered, and made some muttered sound of apology as he did so. He really needed to keep a better lookout so that he wouldn't bump into someone without warning. When Corazon had finished retrieving the documents and handing them over to the secretary, the tall blond stood and went in the direction Smoker had gone. He knew the office the white haired man was going to. A small office in one corner of the station, where the criminal profiler they had on hand could be found most days. The younger Donquixote brother had heard of the woman, but hadn't yet had the chance or the need to meet with her. While Corazon had been helping the poor office secretary pick up the papers, Smoker had apparently already given Robin a call to have her pull up what information she could on Eustass Kidd, and he said as much as Corazon caught up with him outside the office.

"Don't be offended if she makes things sound bleak. I think she seems to get a kick out of being morbid for some reason or another. It's just the way she is. But she's damn good at her job." Smoker pushed open a door, and walked inside. "But since this is such short notice, she may not have had time to put together too much information."

Corazon followed after Smoker, inwardly doubting that anything could be said that could really offend him. And even a little bit of information on the man that had kidnapped Law would be useful.

A long, black haired woman glanced up from where she was seated at a desk, and offered a hint of a smile, "That was quick. I hope you're ready for just the basics."

"The basics will be enough for now." Smoker said as he sat down on a chair.

Corazon remained standing, as he hated the idea that they were wasting time, but at the same time knew that information would be very useful before going out to look for Kid and where he was keeping Law. "What do you know?"

"Eustass Kid. He was a leader of a gang that was thriving two years ago, but all of them, except for Kid, were put behind bars two years ago. Kid was not arrested with the rest of them as he was not present at the time of the raid." Robin looked at a piece of paper, "Also, it appears as though Law was the prosecutor at the time at the trail that put Kid's gang in prison."

"That could explain why he went after Law." Smoker said aloud.

"Perhaps, but the most Kid and his gang ever did was violate traffic signals, pickpocket and some extortion. And occasional graffiti, as well as indecent exposure at one football game, where half of Kid's gang raced around on the filed, apparently having drunk too much." Robin looked at Smoker, "In short, there was never any indication that any of them had ever committed a murder or kidnapped anyone. Of course, that is just for this city."

"Maybe Kid has to work for someone else now that he doesn't have a gang to run. He'd have to affiliate with someone to keep rival gang members from taking care of him, if he and his gang had ever gotten any of their rivals angry at them." Inwardly, Smoker wondered who had botched the raid two years ago by not realizing that they hadn't even caught the ringleader. If they had, Law would most likely never have been kidnapped in the first place.

"That doesn't matter right now, does it? We just need to find out where he lives so that we can get to Law." Corazon didn't really care whether or not some thug had found reemployment when said thug had Law in his clutches, "This Eustass Kid could be making a move already now that he knows that we know who he is. Why would he not move Law from wherever he is?"

"He probably isn't too concerned right now. He may think that he has time." Robin shuffled a few papers in thought before she added, rather ominously, "I hope that he does not harm Law for revealing who he was."

Corazon's lips thinned into a displeased line, "It sounded like he may have already, and he will find himself in a similar state if any further harm comes to Law."

"That would make you a criminal as well, Corazon, if you assault the guilty party." Smoker said from next to the desk as he watched Robin sift through a few more pieces of paper.

Corazon quieted at that, though beneath the makeup he wore, he still looked like he wanted to risk that in order to make sure that Law was out of Kid's hands as soon as possible. And if he had to beat the shit out of Kid to do it, Corazon rather doubted that his brother would allow him to end up in prison. Though if Corazon did kill someone, even Doflamingo might not be able to prevent him taking a trip to jail. House arrest, however, was far more likely if Corazon were to rough Kid up, though being confined to his and his brother's home had terrifying prospects all its own. Corazon silently decided that he would have to be discreet, even if Smoker ended up having suspicions if Kid happened to end up somewhere beaten to a bloody pulp.

Smoker, unaware of the thoughts going through the taller man's mind, picked up a call when his cell phone went off. "Tashigi? What did you find?"

"I'm sending Nico Robin a list of addresses that Eustass Kid could be living at. Keep in mind that a few of these may have just been rented in his name and he doesn't actually live in them."

"I'll take a look at them. Call in some of the boys so that we can split them up and search all of the places at once. Don't let them leave until I've come to give them instructions. I don't want any screw ups like last night."

"Yes, sir. And what should I do about the calls from the media?"

"Try and keep the information private. If checking these places doesn't yield results, we many end up letting the media report a kidnapping of a lawyer. It may actually be useful this time around."

"Right. I'll go and get some of the officers that are in the station together."

Smoker hung up, already going through whom he would pair up with whom, as he accepted a print out from Robin of the addresses.

"I want to go as well." Corazon stated, but before he could even give the reason why, Smoker interrupted him.

"I can't have you go along. You are still a civilian, no matter how much power you and your brother have in your company's firm and in the city itself." Smoker looked hard at Corazon when it appeared like the blond was about to argue, "Don't think that I won't detain you to keep you from interfering. I know what you and Doflamingo can be capable of, and I do not want any collateral damage. _That_ case was different than this one, and the two of you aren't going to be able to get as much leeway if something similar happens in the future."

Corazon relented and did not argue as he gave a little jerk of his head to indicate that he understood, even if he did not like it. The younger Donquixote brother watched Smoker leave from the room, and wondered if there was any way to follow along without being spotted. Unlikely, given how tall he was, and prone to tripping himself out of the blue. Corazon heard the printer in the room run again, followed by a rustle of paper. He turned his head, and stared at the piece of paper that was strategically poised on the edge of the desk. Corazon stared when he realized that it was the addresses that Smoker had just taken with him. Confused, the blond looked at Robin, but her eyes were on the computer. Cautiously, Corazon picked up the piece of paper, folded it, and stuck it in his pocket. As he turned to leave, he heard Robin speak.

"Be careful."

Corazon paused, before he nodded and exited the office. The woman puzzled him, but he was grateful that, for whatever reason, she had broken a rule and given him what he had wanted. As he left the police station, Corazon carefully took out the piece of paper and glanced over the addresses. Most of them seemed unlikely, but one in particular gave him pause, because it was in a better part of the city. Corazon started to walk briskly down the sidewalk as he tucked the piece of paper back in a pocket. He wondered if it would have big windows and balconies like Law had mentioned in the first phone call. As Corazon avoided the crowd, he knew that he could potentially do something illegal if he happened upon Kid and Law first, but Corazon supposed that he would see how things played out, to see if it would come to that.

Corazon, as he walked along to his first destination, did not notice a nondescript red car that had started to follow him after he had gone a good few paces down the sidewalk.

-x

From a window of a nearby red car, a light, green haired woman watched Corazon's progress, before she leaned back in the seat of the car and produced a cell phone. Taking one last peek at Corazon's retreating back, the woman dialed a number and waited patiently before it was answered.

_"Well, Monet?"_ The voice on the other end of the line queried. It was Doflamingo.

"I think your brother is up to something." Monet responded as she watched the younger Donquixote brother maneuver around those walking past him.

Doflamingo laughed, amused, _"That's what I thought. He never can be content to wait for things when it comes to Law."_

"Are you going to do anything?" Monet asked.

_"No. Just keep an eye on him for me for now."_

"Right."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Fluff, fluff everywhere. I like fluff and I need fluff right now in my life. And to make more fluff, Kid's cat in this fic's full name is Ms. Kitty Kit Kat, because it is dorky, and the cat doesn't really answer to a name anyway, which is why Kid just calls the cat Kat.

Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! I hope the close updates aren't too quick, but sometimes I just feel really creative and motivated and just need to get it out of my system so that I am not thinking about it when I'm supposed to be paying attention to other things. And to answer why this story has several updates so close together (other than I like to have as much up for people to read in case I am unable to update for a time for some reason) it is because I am planning to participate in the nanowrimo this year. So updates will be sporadic for a time next month. This particular fanfic is actually a lot easier for me to do because I basically type everything up as it comes to mind, using a basic/skeleton outline of the plot I made for this, as well as adding in things from previous chapters.

I've been trying different ways of writing chapters, and doing it in this way has a lot more freedom with what happens, which is why this story might come off as more odd/humorous (?) than other fanfics (other stories I literally have a summary for the story and then I write out most of a chapter itself before typing it and then editing it).

And I'm tormenting myself again, because this story hasn't really even begun. It's still in the very beginning, so I was totally wrong, and I believe this fic is gonna go on for awhile that I am not even going to take a guess at how long. Mostly because it will take awhile for Law to even think about Kid as anything other than someone he's rather be far away from. Also, it seems like Corazon is going to be more prominent in the story than Ace will be, so I swapped them in the characters for the summary/information of the fanfic.


	6. Chapter 6

Law felt trapped, and it was not a feeling that he liked. Past experience locked away was not something that had ever faded from his mind, so being in this situation, even if vastly different than before, was something the dark haired lawyer had never wanted to relive. At the very least, Law counted himself lucky that Kid didn't really have any plan in mind other than to, apparently, stare at him like he wanted to jump and ravish him. Law settled on the bed more comfortably and closed his eyes. Ordinarily the thought would not bother Law. He was used to some people giving him clearly interested looks.

Than there was the opposite of that obvious interest. Law knew that he didn't miss some of the looks that he would receive during a trial. That some of the criminals in court eyed him as if they wanted to tear him limb from limb. Because of that, Law did not mind the sight of other people being interested in him in a non violent way. It was welcome, compared to the attention he was used to. Law realized that he wasn't popular with the criminals in the city, but he had never imagined himself to ever be in any danger of falling into their clutches as long as he was careful.

The dark haired man let out a soft laugh. Not that any of the common thugs would ever think to touch him, considering who he worked for. There was a reason that the Donquixote brothers' law firm was one of the most successful within the city, and none of the lowlifes wanted to dare cross them. At least, Law had been confident that that reputation alone would be enough to ward people off.

And then there was Eustass Kid.

Law found the redhead's reasoning to be completely absurd behind the kidnapping. According to the redhead, Kid was supposed to have killed him. It had been a smart move on the unknown enemy's part that they had recruited Kid for the job. They likely would not have cared if Kid had taken the fallout of Doflamingo or Corazon's rage upon learning of the lawyer's untimely demise. Law figured that by now Corazon must have passed along the information to Doflamingo that he was alive, and could only think that Doflamingo would be amused with his predicament. No doubt the man would not really be inclined to do anything since Law wasn't in any danger of dying by Kid's hands.

The blue haired man scowled darkly. It disgusted him to think that the only reason Kid had not killed him was because the redhead had apparently found him overwhelmingly attractive. And to think that it would be a shame to kill someone as good-looking as Law. And then Kid had proceeded to rape him while apparently not thinking straight by the way the redhead had disregarded the concept of assassination as he proceeded to fuck him into exhaustion. There was a tiny part of Law that hated himself for enjoying the physical closeness of another person, but it did not change the fact that he had been an unwilling participant.

Law was grateful that Kid had not forced himself on him again, but the lawyer figured it would only be a matter of time. In the meantime, Kid was certainly only gaining more of his ire with each of his actions. Being restrained by handcuffs and having his ankles shackled was humiliating, and again another reminder of a past he wished to forget. Law deemed himself lucky that the restraints and imprisonment had been the only thing to happen to him in the past. As there could have been a lot worse that could have happened. But as he thought about it, Law suddenly drew up a blank. He couldn't remember what else had happened apart from being prevented from wandering too far. How strange. Law was sure there was something else, but he just couldn't remember...

Law's thoughts were interrupted when something warm and furry settled close to his face. The dark haired man opened his eyes and saw that Kat had hopped up onto the bed and seemed quite content to interrupt his musings with her presence. At least it was not Kid, because he would not have been as well received. Law liked cats and their independence, and he hoped that Kid was being decent to Bepo. The white cat could be aloof when he wanted to be, but Law knew that the feline liked to be around him when Bepo thought he couldn't see him purring contentedly on his lap.

Since there was nothing he could do but speculate at this point about what to do about Kid and his stupidity, Law spoke to the cat instead of his thoughts, "I don't know what Eustass-ya thinks he is doing, but the longer he keeps me against my will, the worse things will turn out for him." Kid would be extremely fortunate if the cops got to him first. At least then the fool would get a trial. If either Doflamingo or Corazon got to him before law enforcement did, Law rather doubted there would be enough left of Kid to send to the morgue. "I would be surprised if he had any idea of what to do should the police show up here."

Kat purred contentedly. The feline appeared to like Law's voice.

"You don't have the slightest inkling that I am angry with him, do you?" It was a pointless question, but Law did enjoy talking to his own cat. It seemed a better thing to do than have to deal with Kid himself and the next thing the red head might decide to do with him. The dark haired lawyer felt he was prepared to deal with whatever Kid decided on, but he wasn't sure what he would do if Kid forced him into sex again. Law closed his eyes as Kat drew closer to him and curled up above his head with a loud purr. Law felt the feline start to knead her paws against the top of his head, and the dark haired lawyer let out a sigh, "You and Eustass-ya sure don't do well with staying out of someone's personal space, do you?" Not that Law minded the cat, as the animal was not the one he was mad at.

A yawn and another purr followed by a heavy sag against his head indicated that Kat had found the perfect place to take an impromptu nap.

"Cats." Law muttered, though it was said in a fond tone. The blue haired lawyer only had time to briefly rest for a few minutes before he was brought back into full alertness by Kid's return to the bedroom. Law did not move from where he was as he heard the redhead come into the room, and from the sound of it, come to stand next to the bed. Law heard something being set down, before he heard Kid let out a laugh.

"Kat doesn't usually take to strangers so quickly. She can be a real bitch sometimes when someone else is around her."

"I'm surprised she deemed you worthy enough to be around." Law opened his eyes and tilted his head to look at Kid, who was staring down at him with something akin to amusement and exasperation at Kat's actions. Law's eyes fell on what Kid had set down on the bedside table. That was right. Kid had said that he was going to make lunch. Unfortunately for the redhead, Law was not going to make things easy on him, no matter how hungry he was. Law let his head drop back onto the bed, voice disinterested, "I'm not hungry."

"Like fuck you aren't." Kid retorted, amazed that Law was being so damn stubborn. But he hadn't expected this to be easy, "I didn't poison it if that's the problem. I'm not gonna let you just starve."

Law turned over, which made Kat make a small meow of displeasure for making her move across the bed to curl up again. The dark haired man heard Kid about to speak again, so he spoke first.

-x

Kid was just about to tell Law to sit the fuck up and eat the damn food when the lawyer beat him to it with an unexpected response.

"I hate bread."

The redhead blinked at that, before he began to scowl. If Kid had known that, he wouldn't have made the sandwiches, but that was what he had, and he wasn't going to make anything else just because the other man said he disliked something. "You could have mentioned something sooner." When there was no response, and the only sound in the room was Kat purring, Kid's scowl deepened. Fine, he would do this the hard way. The redhead figured that he had a way to get the other man to eat.

With a grin, Kid slid onto the bed, and up against Law's back, which drew an immediate reaction. The dark haired lawyer went instantly still, as if waiting to see what Kid was going to do next. The redhead merely pressed up against Law's back and draped an arm lightly over his waist so that he could bury his face against the nape of Law's neck.

A moment of silence passed before Law shifted uncomfortably and spoke, "What are you doing?"

"…Holding you. I was jealous that you were letting Kat cuddle with you." Kid nuzzled along the skin before he leaned up and lightly bit Law's nearest shoulder, "And I was gonna tell you what I'd do if you didn't eat."

"Do tell. I assume it has something to do with the rest of my clothes coming off." Law's voice was light, but he was clearly wary of something of the like happening in the immediate future.

"No. Though that doesn't sound too bad either." Kid laughed against Law's bare shoulder at the displeased sound the other man had made. "Nah, I was gonna tell you that if you didn't want to eat it yourself, I could always feed it to you."

"Don't overexert yourself on my part. You're more liable to break my teeth than give me any food." Law said darkly, as he tried to inch away from Kid.

Kid snorted, and hugged Law closer to his chest to prevent the other from wriggling away, "You didn't let me finish."

"Then dazzle me. What would you do?" Law questioned as he tried to free himself from Kid's grasp.

Kid delivered his next line with perfect innocence, "I can feed it to you mouth to mouth."

There was a gasp, then a low growl of, "Absolutely not. Get the hell away from me. I'll eat it myself." There was a slight pause, before Law added, in a quieter voice, "Just get rid of the bread first."

Kid reluctantly loosened his hold around Law's waist as if disappointed, when in reality he was stupidly pleased that the ploy had worked. Kid sat up and reached over to the plate, gently batting Kat's questing paw away from said plate as he picked it up. Kid took the two pieces of bread off the sandwich and offered the plate to Law, who had sat up similarly, though he had scooted away from the red head as soon as he was upright. Kid was glad he had thought to brink a fork, even though he hadn't realized that there would be an issue with the bread. Kid knew for a fact that he wasn't going to let Law anywhere near a knife. That would be asking for the other man to try and stab him.

Law accepted the plate, before he scooted a little further away with a suspicious eye still turned on Kid.

The redhead slid off the bed and onto a nearby chair. If Law didn't want him to be near him while eating, then he would just wait for him to finish before getting back into his personal space. Kid settled into the chair comfortably, and silently watched Law eat. There was nothing said throughout the time that Law made his way through the meat and vegetables that made up the sandwich, though Kid could clearly tell that the man was not happy in the least bit. The redhead highly doubted that it was the taste of the food that was bothering the lawyer though. Kid really hoped that it wasn't like this with every meal. He would have thought that Law would want to eat whether or not Kid provided him with the food. Law had to have know that he couldn't do any potential escape attempts if he were starving himself.

Not that Kid would have let him make one in the first place, but still, it had to have crossed Law's mind.

As Law finished up the meal, Kid, who had munched on one of the slices of bread, watched as the other man set the plate aside. When Law refused to look at him, Kid decided that he needed some entertainment in his life. Law had said that he didn't like bread. Kid wondered what the dark haired lawyer would do if he were presented with it on his lap since he wasn't paying attention. With a grin, Kid made a light underhanded toss that sent the piece of bread flying through the air to land directly on Law's lap. Kid had expected the lawyer to let out a sigh at his childishness before tossing the bread back at him in return. What Kid hadn't expected was for Law to freak the fuck out completely as if the bread had burned him by its close proximity.

Kid watched in complete surprise as Law let out a strangled sound in the back of his throat before he shook the bread off and shoved himself as far away from it as possible. Which resulted in the dark haired man falling off the side of the bed and out of Kid's immediate sight.

What the fuck was that all about?

The redhead resisted the urge to laugh because he was honestly taken aback at what he had just witnessed. That was one of the most extreme reactions Kid had ever seen in his life.

Just as Kid stood and started to head around the bed, some flashing lights caught his eyes. That was weird. Was something going on outside the apartment? Momentarily setting aside Law's odd reaction, Kid went over to the window to take a look. Had someone run a red light again? Kid peered out the window with a frown. As soon as Kid saw the gathered officers, and the sight of them indicating the apartment he was in, the redhead hastily stepped backwards a few steps as he cursed, "Fuck. How the hell did the cops find out about this place so quickly?"

That settled things. Kid was going to have to get the hell out of the apartment with Law as soon as possible. Putting a different number than the apartment he was actually in might make the cops leave when they came across an empty living space, but they were too close for him to stay here for as long as he thought he could. Kid had hoped that he'd have a few days tops to find somewhere where those that hired him to kill Law would not be able to find Kid himself or the blue haired lawyer.

Things were bad enough as it was with the cops milling around outside. Kid really didn't need Law deciding to take advantage of it, but it certainly got his attention. It was Kid's own fault for not considering the possibility that Law would chose now to attack him while he had momentarily been distracted.

Kid let out a choke as metal suddenly dropped down in front of him and across his throat, where the cold metal dug into his skin. Fuck, he was getting rusty if he hadn't even sensed Law coming up from behind him. The redhead cursed himself for letting his guard down. Kid figured he shouldn't have mentioned the cops, because that was what had to have spurred Law into action.

The redhead wheezed as he braced his feet, though the man behind him restricting his airflow didn't loosen his grip in the least. Kid again cursed himself, and decided that the handcuffs with the chain running between them half a foot probably wasn't the best thing he could have put on Law. Bastard had probably fantasized about choking him to death as soon as the thought crossed his mind. Kid struggled to shake Law off, but the dark haired man had pressed himself up against his back, and refused to budge. Kid felt the pressure rest heavier across his throat as Law leaned up to whisper near his right ear.

"Any last words? I'm sure the cops won't mind it if they find a dead body. Self-defense and all that, you know."

Kid disliked how much satisfaction was in the other man's voice, before Kid had the entirely inappropriate thought that Law almost sounded as if he were getting off on the idea of choking the life out of him. Kid was distracted from Law's efforts to kill him when he heard movement in the apartment next door, and knew that he was running out of time to get Law back under control before the lawyer could think to give them away. Kid heard Law laugh softly near his ear before he drew his head away, and that was all Kid needed to act. Law probably wouldn't have expected this, but Kid was no stranger to someone trying to choke him. He was just usually better at preventing them from doing it in the first place.

With a sharp movement, Kid twisted to one side and elbowed Law harshly in the side that he could reach. Law's grasp slacked, which allowed Kid to reach back and seize the other man's wrists. Quickly, Kid ducked forward, and pulled Law along as the handcuffs, chain and all, went over his head. Kid let go and Law ended up flying a short distance across the room before he landed on the floor on his back, the breath knocked out of him as he lay winded.

Kid massaged his throat briefly, before he staggered over to Law and pinned him down with one hand as he tugged off a bandana from the bed post, "You're really fucking pushing it." Kid swiftly gagged Law before the other man could do anything about it, and held still as he listened to see if the cops in the apartment next door had heard anything.

Nothing.

Good. Kid could work with that. Keeping Law down on the ground, Kid dug out his phone from his pocket. He let his hand rest heavier as Law's handcuffed hands wrapped around his wrist. But as out of breath as the dark haired man was, there was nothing he could do to free himself for the moment.

Kid turned the phone on and dialed a number. It looked like he was going to make that call he had thought about sooner than he had anticipated.

-x

Corazon was getting frustrated.

No matter which place he went to on the piece of paper, he had turned up nothing, and had not even caught a glimpse of Law, or Eustass Kid, for that matter. Nor had Corazon been able to find any useful information regarding the blue haired lawyer's whereabouts from places he frequented. And none of the people he had talked to seemed to know who Kid was or where he could be. Which left Corazon to check each of the places on the piece of paper that Robin had left out for him.

Corazon stumbled as he ducked into an alley he was about to pass by. He peered out around the corner, before ducking back. He let out a slow sigh. He had just caught sight of Smoker, and knew he was a fool to think that taking a look for himself would be easy with all of the cops around doing the same exact thing. Just as Corazon started to decide whether or not to move on, a voice interrupted his thoughts along with an ominous click.

"Hey! Gimme your wallet or I'll shoot you."

Corazon about faced to stare down at the random idiot who thought that threatening someone nearly twice his side was a good idea. Corazon didn't have time for this, so he acted quickly before the random thug could think to shoot his gun. With hardly any effort, Corazon picked the man up by the front of his shirt and carelessly tossed him into a nearby dumpster. The gun went off and into the air, followed by the man's cries of confusion for why it was suddenly dark as Corazon slammed the lid over the top.

"What was that? Did you hear that?"

"Want to go check it out?"

Corazon cursed silently as he hastily made himself scarce. Apparently, checking out the next place on the list of apartments and houses won out over trying to check out the one Smoker and the officers were currently at. It only took Corazon fifteen minutes to reach his next destination, but again he had to hold back at the sight of cops standing just outside of an apartment. Since no one was looking his way, Corazon stared at the apartment, and realized that someone in one of the windows of the apartment drew back quickly. Odd. Corazon's eyes fell over a balcony and larger windows, and recalled the conversation he had had with Law.

It seemed like the cops may have found the right place after all. Perhaps Corazon would not have to do anything after all.

Maybe Kid was just stupid.

Corazon waited for what seemed like an inordinately long time, but as soon as he saw many of the cops leave the building not twenty minutes later empty handed, the younger Donquixote brother decided to go take a look for himself.

The amount of time had been far too short for the officers to have actually searched the place thoroughly.

-x

Kid was relieved when someone finally answered his call. He had become more desperate with each unanswered call, and was satisfied when the person that had picked up had told him they could be there in less than ten minutes.

"You sure you can find the place fine?" Kid demanded, though he hoped the desperation in his voice didn't translate over the phone.

_"It should be easy enough to get to. You ready to bolt when I get there?"_

"Yeah, and make sure you get one of your guys to feed the cats while I'm gone." Kid hoped he wouldn't get crap for that later.

_"No problem. I'll call them after this on my way there. I'll wait on the opposite side of the alley than the cops to make it a bit easier to get away."_

"I'll be there." With Law in tow, though Kid knew that the other man wouldn't be happy at the idea of being carted off somewhere else.

_"See you soon then."_

The line went dead.

Kid knew the other man would be prompt about his arrival, so he needed to move fast. Kid scooped Kat up despite her yowl of protest and shut her in the spare bedroom with food and water. There was already a litter box inside. Kid did the same for Law's cat, before he went into the bedroom and knelt down to unlock the chain from the shackles round Law's ankles. "Time to get going." Kid removed the shackles from Law's ankles, but tugged the other man's arms down in front of him to loop the chain around his arms to pinion them to his sides, in addition to the handcuffs, much to Law's obvious displeasure as he made muffled sounds around the gag.

Law gave Kid a nasty glare but did not move once the redhead had finished securing the chain around him. Since he couldn't say anything due to the gag, he would protest in a different way.

Kid narrowed his eyes at the dark haired man, "Don't even fucking start with me. I am not letting you delay me so your cop buddies can find us." Kid stooped to pick Law up despite the other's muffled protests as the redhead turned and left the bedroom, and straight to the front door of the apartment.

Kid stopped shot of opening the door when he heard voices from just outside. Shit. There were still cops around. Weren't they done with the other apartment yet?

-x

Law had stopped trying to struggle within Kid's arms, because he knew it would do him no good right now. Instead, the blue haired man chose to listen to the voices that he could now hear from just outside the door. Law froze as soon as he recognized one of the voices. He began to struggle again in earnest, desperate as he tried to rid himself of the gag and made as if to kick the front door. Anything to get the person's attention that was outside in the hall of the apartment, Law's thoughts were desperate as he silently called out to the person he could hear just outside the door.

_'Cora-san!'_

He was right there, and Law hated the he was helpless to do anything but hope that the younger Donquixote brother would realize that he was closer than he seemed to think, from what was being said.

-x

A/N: Still having fun typing, bso here, have another chapter. This story hasn't even been up a week and I can't stop writing it. I may even have another chapter to post in a day or two.


	7. Chapter 7

Corazon had not met anyone on his way up the stairs to the floor that he had seen the face in the window of the apartment. He wondered who it could have been, other than perhaps a frightened resident that was worried about the amount of police that had gathered outside of their home. Corazon made sure to firmly grasp the railing as he ascended, due to a particularly painful memory of taking a fall down the stairs in his parent's home. Corazon's grip tightened at the mere thought. That had not been the first time that it had happened, but as stiches had been involved that time around and his mother had been particularly worried about him...Corazon had made sure to keep a firm hold of the railing from then on to prevent anything like that from happening again.

Not to mention Doflamingo had even gotten an elevator installed in their three story mansion home when they had moved away from their parents, and the older Donquixote brother had damn near insisted that he take the elevator up instead of the stairs. Doflamingo had argued that there was no way that Corazon would end up hurting himself if he did that, and refused to budge on the matter until Corazon had agreed to do so.

Corazon reached the top of the stairs wearing a faint smile at that memory. He sure had proved his brother wrong in that instance, and he laughed softly as he thought back on the look that had been on his brother's face shortly after that particular incident.

The first time that Corazon had used the elevator in their home, he not only managed to get the damn thing stuck between floors, but Corazon also managed to get himself injured when he shimmied out the top and the elevator decided to go back down, resulting in another trip to the hospital.

Doflamingo had been pissed, to say the least, but he also couldn't help but find it utterly hilarious that Corazon had managed to get himself hurt on the first ride. Doflamingo had since gotten the elevator fixed, and there had been no more problems since. Even if he had developed a paranoia that Corazon would somehow find a way to change that, and made a point to lurk nearby to make sure Corazon emerged unscathed from the contraption.

Corazon would take the occasional fall down the stairs when he was feeling particularly vindictive toward his brother, but for the most part agreed with Doflamingo that the elevator was the lesser of two evils. He had grown accustomed to sensing his brother's presence or seeing him move away that it no longer bothered him as much at Doflamingo's protectiveness.

Even if that protective nature had changed in recent years, and Corazon himself could no longer tell whether it was genuine or not on Doflamingo's part when his brother chose to check up on him.

Corazon, lost in his thoughts, shoved the stairwell door open and walked out into the hall without checking to see if there were any cops around.

"Mr. Donquxote! What are you doing here?" A feminine voice asked in surprise.

So much for staying out of sight.

Corazon looked up from where he had been staring down at the ground in thought, and caught sight of a glasses wearing woman with her hair held up. Smoker's partner, Tashigi, if memory served Corazon right. The blond stopped in place, not exactly sure what to say, as he realized that there were still a few other cops around, not including the policewoman. Then he decided he may as well tell the truth. There was no point in lying anyway now that he had been spotted, "I wanted to help look for Law." Corazon held up a hand before Tashigi could interrupt him, "I know that Smoker said he didn't want me to involve myself, but I find it very hard to just sit back and wait for something to happen."

Tashigi looked like she wanted to say more about Corazon's unexpected appearance, but decided to stick to her job, "Be that as it may, this is a police investigation. We're still looking for evidence in the apartment, so I'm going to have to have you leave. Can you come with me?"

Corazon stared down at Tashigi for a moment, before he merely nodded in response. As Tashigi passed by him, and Corazon followed after her, the blond haired man really hoped that Smoker hadn't been serious about locking him up somewhere if he interfered. His thoughts, however, came to a screeching halt when he ended up tripping at the top of the stairs, and took a tumble down the twelve steps or so that were there.

"Are you okay?"

Corazon appreciated the concern in Tashigi's voice, but for the moment he was cursing because that had damn well hurt more than usual.

"I...Is your hand bleeding?"

Corazon held up his left hand and frowned at it. He hoped he had only gotten the gash across the back of his hand and not broken anything. Not that it mattered to him right now. A little pain here and there was fine so long as he was able to either find Law or at least figure out where he was. The younger Donquxote brother rose to follow Tashigi again, and as he moved along, Corazon had no idea that he was walking away from the apartment room that Law was fighting Kid tooth and nail to get out of.

-x

Kid held on to Law tightly until the voices began to recede, despite how much fight the dark haired lawyer was putting into trying to get to the door. As soon as it had grown quiet again, Kid felt Law sag against him, as if disappointed that no one had come to check the apartment they were in. Kid waited a moment longer before he readjusted his grip on Law, and exited through the front door. Kid closed the door behind him and locked it, again standing still to make sure that no one was around to hear him.

Feeling more confident when he did not even see anyone around, Kid began to walk in the direction of another stairwell at the back of the apartment that he knew would come out into the alley, where his ride should be any moment. The redhead held Law up against him more tightly when the other man started to renew his struggle, but ended up merely wearing himself out again. "Knock it off already, Trafalgar."

"Mpf nf." Law said from behind the gag, his eyes narrowed on Kid.

"Yeah, yeah, fuck you too, idiot." Kid said in exasperation as he made his way down the stairs. "You really are making my life a living hell right now with all those cops around."

At a muffled laugh from the dark haired lawyer, Kid gave a warning squeeze to one of Law's thighs, "Think you're damn funny, huh? Bet you won't be so amused when we leave the cops running around in circles after I get us to a friend's place."

Law quieted, though he continued to try and free his arms from the chain wrapped around him.

Kid didn't bother trying to dissuade him, as the way the redhead held him prevented Law from getting the chain to go anywhere. Carrying the other man bridal style was about the only way Kid could think of to dump Law into the getaway car as fast as possible and hop in after him. Kid shouldered open the door that led to the alley, and felt elated when he spotted the car exactly where he had been told it was going to be.

The good feeling vanished, however, as Kid heard someone let out a gasp.

"Law?"

Kid froze in his tracks at a somewhat familiar voice speaking the lawyer's name. But where had he heard it?

Law had also gone still, before he began to struggle and issue distressed sounds around the gag. He tried to kick Kid, but merely ended up getting the redhead to squeeze his thigh again.

Kid half turned to see a tall man who stood at the other end of the alley smoking, and wondered if perhaps this had been the person that Law had called over the phone. If it was, Kid did not want to stick around. The blond haired man looked like he could break him in half, which Kid found disturbing. He wasn't used to seeing someone that could tower over him, and right now, even from this distance, Kid could all but see the livid expression on the man's face beneath the makeup and painted on smile.

Definitely time to get the hell out of there before that man could get to them. Kid had the uneasy feeling that he would become a blood splattered stain on the alley walls if he didn't get his ass moving.

-x

Corazon had gone out to the alley to smoke while Tashigi called Smoker, no doubt to let the white haired man know that he was trying to look for Law as well. Corazon absently let out an exhale of breath full of smoke as he tried to think of a way out of confronting Smoker so soon. The sound of a door opening and closing caught his ear, and Corazon slid his gaze sideways. He wondered if it perhaps was one of the apartment residents out to get a better look at what the cops were...

The thought was lost as soon as Corazon realized that two people were now in the alley, and one of them was Law. Corazon's eyes passed over the redhead that he presumed to be Eustass Kid, before he focused on Law. Corazon immediately got pissed off at the sight of the handcuffs and chain limiting the dark haired man's movements, as well as the gag. Not to mention the fact that Law appeared to be topless. And was that a bruise on the dark haired lawyer's shoulder? Corazon took a step toward Kid, his expression turning murderous as he remembered Law hinting that Kid had forced himself on him. Corazon's eyes locked onto Kid. As soon as he got his hands on the redhead, he was going to break him in two. How dare that son of a bitch harm Law and restrain him in such a way. Instead of silently approaching the men, Corazon stupidly gave himself away by speaking in a raised voice as he started toward them at a faster pace, "Law?"

Law looked to be as surprised as Corazon himself felt that they had crossed each other's paths in such a way.

Corazon moved more quickly, his long legs narrowing the distance between himself and Law. He could tell that Law was trying to say something, but with the gag. Corazon narrowed his eyes on Kid. That redhead was dead meat as soon as Corazon had him within lunging distance. The idiot wouldn't know what hit him.

Kid, with widened eyes, took one look at the younger Donquixote brother all but charging at him with malicious intent, before he turned tail and ran, taking Law with him.

Corazon immediately broke into a full out run as soon as he caught sight of the car that Kid was running toward. Corazon pushed himself harder in an effort to cut Kid off. Like hell he was going to allow the redhead to steal Law away to who the hell knew where. Not after Corazon had just found him. He was so close...

"Hey! Wait! You don't know if they're armed!" Tashigi called. The policewoman began to run as well, as she had just caught sight of movement in the driver's seat of the car that Kid was headed toward. She had a bad feeling about this, but Corazon hadn't stopped running. Tashigi waved a few other officers to follow after her, her hand dropping to her holster as she ran.

Corazon ignored Tashigi's warning. He wasn't going to let Eustass Kid get away. He wouldn't allow him to whisk Law away again. Not when he had him in his sights. He didn't want Law to go through something like he had in the past, even if it appeared to merely be a whim on the redhead's part to kidnap the blue haired lawyer. Corazon made himself go even faster when he saw Law rid himself of the gag and call out to him for help. Another reminder of the past, though one that Corazon was never sure just how much Law truly remembered, though he desperately hoped the memories were locked away for good. It would only serve to break the other man down further, and that really wasn't fair to Law. The younger Donquixote brother saw the doors of the car open, but things became disjointed after that.

Corazon had been making a beeline for the car when the sound of a gunshot rang out. Corazon stumbled, as if he had tripped over something, but that wouldn't account for why his upper body was in pain instead of his lower body. Corazon sunk to the ground when he found that it was too much effort to remain standing. This puzzled Corazon, as did something more important.

Why the hell did his chest suddenly hurt so much? It felt like it was on fire.

"Cora-san!"

Corazon looked up slowly to see that Law was the one that had called out to him, and the blond haired man hated to see that Law almost looked frightened. Corazon offered Law as reassuring smile as he could. He hadn't seen that expression on Law for well over a decade. Corazon wanted to tell Law that everything would be fine, as he had in the past. And it would be. Tashigi and the other officers would see to it that they stopped the car from taking the blue haired lawyer away. As for himself...

Corazon shakily lowered himself the rest of the way to the ground, the strength in his limbs suddenly lost. Law would be fine, but Corazon felt that there was something wrong with himself. His body wasn't responding to him but for the faintest of movements, and that didn't seem right.

But what was it that was wrong then?

Corazon's thoughts were rather scattered, and for once, he believed the pain he was now in had nothing to do with his clumsiness.

-x

Law had frozen in utter shock as the gunshot went off, and it had allowed Kid to shove him into the backseat of the car and follow in along after him. Law struggled up and tried to lunge past Kid back out of the car, but the redhead held him back. Law rested his head on Kid's shoulder as he looked out the open door at where Corazon had collapsed. Law had rid himself of the gag moments earlier, and let out a loud cry. "Cora-san!"

Law saw the other man's head lift, and the sight of Corazon offering him what looked to be a reassuring smile was anything but that. Here Law was being carted off who the hell knew where while Corazon had been shot. Law's struggle increased as he watched Corazon slump to the ground, before the dark haired man started to try and attack Kid. With his arms pinioned to his side, the most Law could do was head butt Kid viciously. "Untie me now! You son of a bitch!" Law let out an incensed sound when Kid seized him by his shoulders and held him at arms length. Law started to try to kick the redhead with as much force as he could, too angry now to even bother with forming a coherent sound. The sight of Corazon being shot seemed to make something in him snap, and Law was too far gone to realize that Kid had a look if surprise on his face at the lawyer's actions.

Law did notice when the car door was shut, and that was when he regained his voice as the car began to speed away. "Let go of me! Go back! Cora..." Law struggled within Kid's grasp, and was made further upset when the redhead merely maneuvered him around so that his face was pressed up against the redhead's shoulders. Law wriggled a bit when he realized that Kid had him on his lap, but that wasn't really important. The only thing that mattered right now was that Kid was holding him tightly, and preventing him from going to help Corazon. At the thought of Corazon bleeding out all alone or slipping into a coma or something of the sort. Law could only hope that the police officers he had seen would help the younger Donquixote brother when they came across him.

"Cora-san..." Law muttered against Kid's shoulder, before he squeezed his eyes shut and let out a shuddering breath. Dammit. Law did the best he could to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as he spoke softly. He was going to let the redhead know that for what had just happened, there was no running away from the fallout. "You will pay for this."

Kid was quiet for a moment as he hugged Law closer to him, even if the dark haired man didn't seem to appreciate the closeness. Nothing was said as the car began taking sharp turns. However, as soon as sirens began to wail in the distance, Kid gripped Law closer, and answered the other man in an mumble, "I didn't shoot the guy."

"Doesn't matter. You kidnapping me brought it on. I will make you suffer if he dies." Law didn't care how much Kid would try and weasel himself out of trying to not be the guilty party. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to heap any more abuse on Kid for the moment, because there was a click from the front seat, and the driver of the car spoke.

"Fuck. He is an annoying shit, Kid. Want me to shut him up for you?"

"…Just fucking drive, man. I'll handle it." Kid's gruff response apparently satisfied the driver, because they tucked the gun back to wherever they had it in the front.

Law laughed humorously. "Just try to 'handle me'. You will find yourself disappointed." If he couldn't verbally abuse Kid with the driver present, there were other ways to let Kid know how pissed off he was. With that thought in mind, Law leaned his head up and bit down hard over the skin above Kid's collarbone. Even the startled yelp that emitted from Kid could do nothing to make Law feel better about the situation.

Because it didn't change the fact that Corazon had been shot because of him.

-x

Corazon watched the gathered cops give chase to the car, but other than that, he could only lie on the ground and wheeze. He had no idea how long he lay there, though it was likely to have not been a very long period of time, because Tashigi was suddenly kneeling next to him, her hand on his shoulder. Corazon had to work hard to even focus on her words.

"Where were you hit?"

"...Chest..." Corazon wheezed, and sincerely hoped that the bullet had not struck a lung. He had figured that he had to have been shot. There was no other explanation for why he would be in such bad shape otherwise. It also hurt like hell. Corazon watched as Tashigi pulled out her phone, and he must have blacked out for a moment, because the next thing he knew, there was an ambulance waiting near where the car had been that had taken Law away.

"You need to get up. You're too big and heavy for the EMTs' gurney." Tashigi said, as she kneeled down again.

Corazon figured as much, as most people in the city did not have such a large body structure. With obvious effort, Corazon managed to shakily push himself upright, but had to wait a moment for a throbbing pain of agony to surge through his body, before he could get to his feet. Corazon appreciated Tashigi staying near his side as he made his way slowly toward the waiting ambulance, even if he believed that she wouldn't have been able to help him stay upright if he happened to stumble. He supposed it was the thought that counted.

With every step and labored breath he took, Corazon had to wonder if he could even make it to the ambulance, but luckily, he did not trip himself, and made it to the back of the vehicle. As he was assisted into the back of the ambulance, he vaguely wondered whether Doflamingo would be told about this straight away, or if the call would wait until he had been treated. With a slow sigh of relief, Corazon sunk onto one of the seats on one side of the ambulance. He watched Tashigi sit opposite of him through half open eyes, before Corazon decided he was too tired to keep them open. Corazon closed his eyes as the EMTs in the ambulance began to take a look at the gunshot wound.

-x

Corazon felt that he had only had his eyes closed for a few moments, but when he opened them again, the scenery around him was completely differnet than that of the ambulance. He was in a mostly white room, so Corazon presumed that he was in a hospital now. The younger Donquixote brother figured that he must have been out for awhile, because his wound appeared to have already been treated he was on a bed with IV's hooked up to his left arm.

Then he noticed that Smoker was in he room, and the man did not look to be one bit happy about being there in the first place. Corazon didn't know what to say, but apparently, the white haired man didn't expect him to.

"I told you to not get involved, didn't I?" Smoker looked at Corazon, and the bandages that he could see. "You're lucky that there wasn't more than one of them that shot at you."

Corazon knew that, and realized that he was very lucky that he hadn't died from the shot. It didn't make him feel any better. "They got away. They took Law with them."

Smoker turned toward the door, "I've already talked to your brother. He's agreed to keep you at home expect for work related business when you are discharged from the hospital." Smoker paused with his hand on the door, "I also told him that if either of you try and look into this on your own, that I'll be more than happy to lock both of you up until the investigation is over with."

Corazon said nothing in return as the white haired officer left the room, as he was more concerned about the idea of being confined to his home with his brother. And only being able to leave on work related business, which Doflamingo may or may not chose to give him for a time, depending on how he felt about him getting shot. Corazon figured that Doflamingo, upon learning what had happened, would waste no time in getting to the hospital, so the younger Donquixote brother figured he needed to ready himself for the inevitable meeting.

He didn't have to wait long.

Just as Corazon was about to doze off again, the hospital door slammed open and close, and heavy footsteps could be heard as they crossed the room. Corazon heard something being dragged from the other end of the room, before someone sat down with a sigh. Corazon opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side, to look at the person that had entered the room. It was who he expected it to be.

Doflamingo.

With a bit of an effort, Corazon slowly moved his right hand to allow his brother to grasp it with his own. Corazon had noticed that the other man had already begun to reach out for him before he had really seemed to notice the gesture himself.

Doflamingo gripped Corazon's hand tightly, his voice rigidly controlled, "What happened? Smoker would not tell me the details."

Without thinking, Corazon answered, "I was shot." The younger Donquixote brother felt Doflamingo's hand twitch around his own, and saw the veins across the elder's forehead begin to appear at the very thought. Corazon held perfectly still as Doflamingo used his free hand to tug the sheet down to his waist to look at the bandages around his upper chest.

Doflamingo stared at the bandages, his fingertips lightly tracing the bandages, before he tugged the sheet back up and ran the hand over his face as he let out a long sigh. His other hand tightened around Corazon's as he spoke again. "Did the bullet…?"

"It missed the vitals. The doctor said I was fortunate that it went clean through." Corazon grimaced, "But they want me to stay here for at least a week while it heals, to make sure that the blood vessels around it are all right."

Doflamingo's free hand gently tapped Corazon's left hand that had moved back to rest over his waist on top of the sheets. "And this?"

"...I fell down the stairs in the apartment beforehand." Corazon heard Doflamingo let out a laugh, his lips twitching up into a faint hint of a smile.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Doflamingo leaned over to slip his free hand carefully under his brother's bandaged one, "Is it broken?"

"No, it isn't. There's just a large gash on the back of it that needed a few stitches." Corazon moved his bandaged hand slightly in Doflamingo's grasp, "It looks like I won't be able to get to the meeting tonight. I apparently need to wait to be discharged, which I doubt will be later this evening."

"I'll find someone else to go with me." Doflamingo said dismissively, as he looked his brother over. He let go of Corazon's bandaged hand, and settled back down on the too small chair as his other hand gripped Corazon's non wounded hand more tightly. The anger returned, though it was not directed at his brother.

Corazon knew that the fury was not meant for him, but he couldn't help but be disturbed by the sight of the furious smile that had appeared on Doflamingo's face as he spoke.

"Who did this to you? I will kill them." The older Donquixote brother sounded serious, as if nothing would please him more than to gut the culprits and make it as bloody as possible.

Corazon closed his eyes. "I didn't see them. It happened too quickly." And that more than anything bothered Corazon, because he didn't know who Kid had gone to for help.

"I will find them then." Doflamingo said simply, not put off by the idea that he didn't know who was responsible.

Corazon didn't doubt that Doflamingo could use his connections to find the guilty party, but while his brother might find the one who had shot him, Doflamingo wouldn't find Kid. And Corazon hated to think that he had failed Law by not being able to rescue him from Kid when he had been within his reach.

And now Law was stuck with the man until they could find out where he had been taken. Which was going to be difficult if Corazon were confined to his home and could only leave on business...

"Corazon."

"Hm?" Corazon looked up at Doflamingo, and noticed that his smile was not threatening any longer, and instead had become devious. Corazon froze in place, as that smile could only mean one of two things. Either Doflamingo was going to show him how relieved he was that he was all right, or he had thought of something that he decided he wished to share that he found interesting." Corazon relaxed when it turned out to be the latter.

"Should I tell the media about Law?"

Corazon would have slapped Doflamingo if he had the energy to do so for the gleefulness that was apparent in his brother's voice. "I believe Smoker mentioned that he would go do that himself." Smoker hadn't, but Corazon had to assume that that would be the next logical step now that Kid had moved Law somewhere that might not be easily located.

Doflamingo's grip tightened, as if he could sense Corazon's simmering anger at his apparent amusement with Law's dilemma, "Well, then that is taken care of, isn't it?" Doflamingo gave Corazon a curious look, "Are you going to stay out of the investigation now?"

Corazon closed his eyes, "Smoker made it clear he would toss me into a cell at the police station if I tired to join in again."

"Fufufufu. That sounds like something he would do. But enough about Law." Doflamingo ginned at the faint frown that appeared on Corazon's lips, "Now, now, there's no point in worrying when nothing can be done at the moment. Besides, I was going to ask you if, when you feel better, if you could meet with Law's client."

Corazon opened his eyes at that to give Doflamingo a look, "Are you talking about Ace?"

Doflamingo merely smiled.

The younger Donquixote brother doubted that he would be able to find a way out of this. He was a lawyer, but he just hadn't had to defend anyone in a court for years since he and Doflamingo had opened up their own practice and hired a lot of other lawyers. The two of them mostly managed things now. However, right now, he could tell that Doflamingo was serious, and there wasn't much he could do about it to change the other's mind. Corazon gave a light sigh, "When would you want me to meet with him?"

"Tomorrow."

So much for getting time to rest and get better. Doflamingo could be such a sadistic asshole sometimes.

"You can come home afterward and get some rest. I doubt that bullet wound will keep you down for long." Doflamingo gave Corazon's hand a light squeeze before he let go.

Corazon dearly wanted to punch him, but did not get a chance as Doflamingo suddenly got up and leaned over to ruffle his hair fondly, before the older man turned away toward the door.

"See you tomorrow evening, then. I left a note and the address you can find Ace at, along with a change of clothes and some of the files about the case."

Corazon really hated it when Doflamingo made decisions for him. Ones that were usually made with a mind to prevent him from seeing Law, and in this case, to prevent him from trying to locate the dark haired lawyer. Corazon watched the door close, and knew that there was no point in calling his brother back to make him change his mind. The younger Donquixote brother despaired at the thought that even if he didn't do as his brother asked, it wasn't as if he could find Law on his own. Corazon could only hope that Law would be found.

The sooner the better.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad this is all right so far, as I think it really is going to go on for some time. Just don't be surprised if I get to the point where this is only updated occasionally like the other two fics I'm working on. This particular fanfic is just addicting to write for some reason at the moment.

...And Kid is going to miss his cat fairly quickly, and as Law is going to be the only one around him to console him...XD Poor Law.

This was a bit longer of a chapter because I didn't want to leave it at 'oh look Corazon got shot' because that is a terrible cliffhanger (in other news, I am not ready for the new chapter yet at the same time I am-I just want some more fluff between Corazon and Law before Doflamingo goes and ruins it). Corazon's clumsiness makes me smile, so I couldn't resist doing the stair/elevator part in this fanfic.


	8. Chapter 8

The pain caught up to Kid once he realized what Law had done. The redhead let out a snigger, as he found the dark haired lawyer's actions to be amusing, yet at the same time completely pointless. What point was there to lash out at him when the car was already driving away? Besides, Kid had already pointed out that he hadn't been the one to shoot the tall blond that had come after them in the alley. Quite frankly, Kid would have probably shot the bastard himself if he had actually had a gun on him.

Law's attempt to bite the redhead harder distracted Kid from any further thought about what he could have done, and he set about trying to release the grip the other man had on his skin. Fuck, it stung, and Kid had no doubt that if he didn't get Law to stop biting him soon, he was going to bleed. If he wasn't already. And to make the situation more humiliating, the driver apparently noticed what Law had done, because the son of a bitch had started to laugh as he swerved in and out of traffic.

"Got you, did he? He doesn't seem like a PDA kind of person from the look of him, but I guess whatever floats your boat, eh?"

Kid glanced up sharply to glare at the back of the driver's head, irritated that the other man sounded so damn entertained with his predicament, "Fuck off, man." The redhead winced, before he added, "And he's trying to hurt me, not make out with me, fool."

"Coulda fooled me. Pretty nice on the eyes, anyway. If you are into guys, that is."

Kid tuned out the driver as he reached a hand up to rest over the nape of Law's neck. The movement only made Law press closer against him to try to bite down even harder. Kid hissed something under his breath as he tried to figure out what to do now. He didn't exactly want to hurt Law, but if the prick was trying to leave something more permanent than a hickey, Kid was probably going to have to end up causing a little pain to get Law to let go. Kid gripped the base of Law's neck and squeezed gently, allowing the pressure to ride heavier with each passing second until the dark haired lawyer figured out what was going on.

With his eyes narrowed at the back of the driver's head, Kid muttered so that only Law could hear him, "Let go, or I'll make you." The redhead could do some damage with the way he had his hand right now, even if he truly had no intention to do so. He didn't exactly want to incapacitate Law, but Kid also didn't want to let Law get away with thinking he could attack him.

Law obviously figured that Kid wasn't actually going to cause any lasting harm, because he refused to let go. At least until the redhead squeezed harder, which startled Law into releasing the bite he had had on Kid's shoulder with a disgruntled gasp.

Kid's hand caught Law by the chin before the other man could try and bite him again, and forced his chin back slightly so that they could look each other in the eye, "Don't do that again." It was fucking weird that Law had decided that biting was the way to go to try and get back at him, but then Kid supposed that there wasn't much that the blue haired man could do otherwise with his arms tethered as they were.

Law returned the attempted command with an almost sneer that made it clear he had no intention of listening to Kid at all. Unfortunately, Law was unable to do anything more as Kid's hand had suddenly went from chin to the back of his head, and all but pinned the lawyer's head to his chest.

"You're so much damn trouble right now. Save it for later." Kid turned his attention to the driver, as he held tight to Law, who had begun to squirm within his grasp again as he let out muttered oaths in response to Kid's words. "We almost there?" Before he did something stupid if Law happened to do something else to piss him off in the next few minutes. Kid frowned at that. Not that he hadn't already fucked things up in general himself with the whole 'kidnap instead of kill the lawyer' thing he had going on.

The driver made a turn at a light and made a hum of agreement after a moment's thought, "…Yeah. I think I lost the cops a few lights back. I'm taking the longer way around just to make sure. I don't want 'em to come after me once I drop the two of you off."

Kid was satisfied with the answer as he settled back in the seat of the car, and held his arm tightly around Law's back, hand still against the back of the blue haired man's head to prevent him from trying to bite him again. Though inwardly, Kid felt ashamed that being bitten had woken certain parts of his body up. It had been slightly arousing after the initial pain had passed. It was a shame that Law hadn't decided to bestow him with a hickey instead. Kid wouldn't have minded that as much.

Law's silence bothered Kid, but the redhead supposed that it had something to do with 'Cora-san' or whoever the blond had been that Law had been frantic about before the car had driven off. He hadn't seen the other man lose his cool, not even when he had first kidnapped him. If anything, Law had been more perplexed and annoyed than anything with the redhead's actions. But Law hadn't been as upset as he had been when the taller man had been shot. Kid, even though he didn't know too much about Law, had not expected to see something like that.

Kid could all but feel by the way that Law had tilted his head slightly in order to glance up at him that he was more than likely being glared at. But right now, the redhead didn't care to check to see if he was right, as he did not feel like dealing with the lawyer's pissed off condition until he had the man somewhere that he couldn't run away from. Not to mention that Kid would rather not have anyone hear Law screaming and or yelling at him. Kid had made sure to not let slip any details about the place he was having the driver take him to, mainly because the place happened to have soundproof walls installed. Kid figured that if Law had known that particular detail, the dark haired lawyer would have been trying harder to get away, instead of apparently taking a break to glower at him.

The driver, however, was starting to get on Kid's nerves. The idiot had begun to hum some off-key tune, and the only thing that saved the driver from Kid contemplating kicking his ass was when the guy's cell went off.

When it kept ringing, Kid decided to comment on the lack of the man answering it, "You expecting a call?"

"...Nah, not so soon." The driver frowned for a moment as he swerved his car around a tight corner. When the cell phone went off again, the man let out an aggravated sigh and reached over for the phone and answered it. "What the fuck do you want? I'm trying to drive here!"

Kid tensed up when he realized that the driver had gone rigid with whatever had been said on the other end, and the redhead was surprised when the guy suddenly swore and held the phone at arm's length as he hastily made a few more turns, before he addressed Kid, "Holy shit, why the hell did you go and get this guy mad?"

Kid frowned as he furrowed his brow at the driver, "What the fuck are you talking about?" Kid hastily reached up to catch the cell, as the driver refused to answer as he made a few more turns seemingly at random. The redhead kept one of his arms firmly against Law's back as he held the phone to his ear, "You wanted to talk to someone?"

_"Eustass Kid, is it?"_

Kid was immediately on guard, and he couldn't help but glance down at Law's head before he spoke, "Maybe. What would it matter if I were?"

The voice on the other end of the line laughed, _"Fufufufu. Because you happen to have one of my employees with you, if you are."_

Kid froze, and his grasp on Law loosened slightly, and the dark haired lawyer was quick to take advantage of that as he leaned up toward the phone, "Doflamingo-ya! Stop playing around and get someone to deal with these idiots!"

The redhead hastily covered Law's mouth with his own, as the blue haired man was within range. And Kid just felt like doing it, if only to piss Law off in an attempt to shut him up. And it was a perfect excuse to give him a kiss, because Kid had been wanting to do that ever since the other man had opened his mouth to argue with him.

Doflamingo's voice was barely under control, even though he sounded amused, _"I guess that answers my question. You can tell Law that it shouldn't take too long to find him, if you're not smart enough to cover your tracks very well."_

"I think we did just fine. That tall guy isn't going to come after us any time soon." Kid wondered why Law was suddenly shaking, and realized that he was shaking from laughter. What the hell? Hadn't the blue haired man been upset that the guy had been shot? The reason behind Law's actions became clear when Doflamingo spoke again, the other man's voice guarded this time.

_"What about my brother? Did he try and stop you and end up tripping himself on the way? I wouldn't be surprised. He must be very frustrated by now, since you somehow managed to evade him." _Doflamingo sighed fondly, as if he found his brother's clumsiness endearing if yet completely exasperating at the same time, _"I bet he is trying to follow after you anyway. He can be rather persistent when he wants to be."_

Kid's mouth had run dry as his mind went over the implications of the tall blond in the alley being shot. And since Kid didn't live under a rock, he knew of the name Law had called the man. Doflamingo. And Doflamingo, from what Kid had figured, happened to be one of two who managed a successful law firm, and here Kid was abducting one of his employees, and the driver of his getaway car had just shot the guy's brother.

Shit. No wonder Law was so fucking amused.

Kid swore as Law craned his head back up against him and spoke to Doflamingo, though the previous amusement was gone and he sounded almost distraught again, "Didn't you hear yet? I thought you had people all over the place."

_"Hello again, Law. He isn't a very good abductor if he can't even keep you quiet, eh?" _ Doflamingo teased, as if entertained by the idea of Kid being incompetent.

Law bit Kid's hand when the redhead tried to cover his mouth, and hastily spoke what he knew would get Doflamingo to listen, "Cora-san was shot, otherwise he would have been able to help me. I don't know if the police have gotten him to a hospital yet or not. Stop wasting time."

There was silence on the other end, before Doflamingo spoke again, his voice clipped, _"I'll have to be going, then."_ The blond's voice directed back to Kid, the tone full of malevolent warning, _"You'd do well to turn yourself into the police and try to have them protect you. Because as soon as I check on my dear little brother's condition, I will hunt you down myself. The police won't even have a body to find when I am through with you." _ Doflamingo's voice turned thoughtful as he mused aloud after a moment's pause,_ "Perhaps Law would like to assist me in the disposal process. I'm sure he has enough reason to want to see you dead anyway, with what you've done to him so far..."_

"I didn't shoot your fucking brother. I don't even have a gun on me!" Kid snapped, though his words fell on deaf ears as Doflamingo abruptly hung up before he could get it all out. "Fuck." Kid said softly, even as the driver ventured to speak.

"That was Doflamingo, wasn't it? Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have shot that guy, I thought he looked familiar. You don't normally see either of the Donquixote brothers wandering around the city on their own. Ah, shit, I'm gonna have to lay low for longer than I thought." The driver looked out the window of his car, as if expecting Doflamingo to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Kid rested his hand over Law's back, trailing his finger along the chain lightly as he thought about what to do. Kid watched, unsurprised, as the driver suddenly tossed his cell phone out of the car window when he had slowed down at another light. After he had cleared the data, presumably.

The driver caught Kid watching him, and shrugged as he sped the car up again, "I ain't going to leave a way for the guy to find me if he could get my number so easily."

Kid could understand that, and he sympathized with the other man for having to ditch such an expensive phone. Since that was over with, though, Kid turned his attention back to Law, and after a moment of studying the other man, wasn't sure whether or not he found Law's sudden silence a good thing or not. Kid was, however, relieved when, twenty minutes later, the car finally pulled up in front of a run-down and very outdated looking apartment in one of the back alleys of the city.

About damn time.

Kid could still hear the police sirens, but they were a ways off at this time, and the redhead did not worry about coming across any officers in the near future. It was a toss up whether he had to be concerned about Doflamingo straight away or not.

"You got the cash?" The driver asked as he put the car into park. He still sounded a little rattled after getting the call from Doflamingo.

Kid dropped his hand from the back of Law's head to dig out a wad of cash that he had stuffed into his pocket earlier, before he tossed it up to the driver. Kid dug a few more bills out and tossed it up as well.

The driver made a low whistle as he thumbed through the cash absently, "Threw in a little extra, did you?"

"I didn't think that the cops would be so persistent. Or that that Doflamingo guy would call. Get a new cell phone or whatever. Maybe get one of the guys underground to make sure it is untraceable." Kid responded as he leaned over and opened the door. Surprisingly, Law did not make much of a fuss as he shifted his hold on the dark haired lawyer as he exited the car. Kid shut the door, and the driver made a half wave through the open passenger side window.

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll see you around, man. And don't worry about the kitty-cats. I got a guy who loves animals. He'll take care of 'em, like I said before." The driver dug around in the glove compartment, before tossing a key out the window toward the redhead. "Here, it's the key for the apartment. Room 45. Fourth floor." The driver gave Kid a grin, "Have fun, yeah? The cops should lose interest after awhile if they can't find ya. Though you'll probably have trouble shaking them if Doflamingo gets involved."

Kid caught the key with his free hand and merely nodded, as he did not want to voice just how unhappy he was at having to be away from Kat for an extended period of time. As the car drove off, Kid turned and headed up the stairs to enter the lobby of the apartment. The redhead was a little weirded out that Law had chosen to silently rest his head against his chest as Kid carried him along with one arm. The redhead could hear Law breathing, though Kid figured that the lawyer was probably nervous.

Or maybe he was just scheming away about what his next move would be. Kid figured that might be more likely.

"You're really quiet. I thought for sure you'd start screaming bloody murder as soon as we were out of the car." Kid commented as he passed through the lobby and into the elevator. "Or at least threaten to kill me or something."

There was a short silence as they went up before Law spoke softly, "What's the point when there will be no one around to hear me? It isn't exactly the best part of the city. I assume that I would be more likely to be ignored, given what the area looks like."

Kid didn't like how depressed the other man sounded now, when he had seemed smug earlier during the call with Doflamingo, "Damn, stop making it sound like this is the end of the fucking world." It kind of made Kid annoyed, to be honest. It wasn't like he was beating Law around or anything...

"I am being held against my will, and Cora-san was shot. Am I supposed to be happy about what you're putting me through?" Law snapped irritably as he tilted his head up to glare at Kid.

The redhead offered a grin, "That's better. It'd be boring if you're gonna start being depressed. I like it better when you're being a smug, sarcastic asshole."

"So sorry to disappoint you in that regard as of the past half hour or so." Law gave Kid a cool look. "I still am thinking about how to make you pay for what happened."

Kid exited the elevator as he let out an exasperated sigh, "Shit, would you stop that?"

"Why, because it actually makes you feel guilty that you kidnapped me?"

"No, because I'd rather not think what would have happened if I had killed you instead. That blond guy looked like he was going to turn me into a bloody mess if he got a hold of me." Kid grumbled as he unlocked the door and entered a small studio apartment. "And this Doflamingo guy sounds like he wants to kill me, bring me back to life, and then kill me again as many times as he wants."

"I would have encouraged Cora-san to make it as painful as possible." Law said in response. He sounded like he meant it. "And it would be nothing compared to what Doflamingo will do to you if he happens to get to you before the police do."

"Fuck, you are actually enjoying thinking about my demise, aren't you?" The redhead kicked the door shut behind him and half turned to lock it. Before he could even say anything else, Law happened to realize what the material the walls were made out of.

The struggling began in earnest once again as Law snarled angrily up at Kid, "Does this apartment have sound proof walls, you son of a bitch?"

"So what if they do? It just means I only have to gag you if I get tired of hearing you bitch and moan about shit." Kid responded as he carried Law past the small kitchen and to a bed, which at least looked newer than the rest of the place. The inside of the apartment itself looked like shit, but at the very least everything appeared to be in working order. There was even a TV, which Kid had not expected to see. The redhead unceremoniously dumped Law onto the bed when he decided that Law was squirming around just a bit too much to keep hold of him. Apparently being dropped abruptly like he didn't matter was all the motivation Law needed to be a little shit.

The dark haired man practically came at Kid with a snarl as he kicked his feet at the redhead. "Untie me, you fucking asshole! Who the hell abducts someone and takes them to a soundproof apartment? Are you planning to rape me all day or something and you don't want anyone to hear me scream? You sick bastard!"

Kid was not pleased and was only further angered when Law continued with his attack despite none of the strikes making a connection. Unfortunately, instead of hitting Law like he thought he might to get the other man to stop, Kid found that he was getting hard at the sight of Law's hands cuffed and pinioned to his sides with the length of chain...

Fuck.

It was not at all an appropriate time to be thinking about sex, but with the stress that Kid had gone through of somehow evading the cops, and that phone call with Doflamingo...Kid decided that getting out a lot of extra energy sounded like a very good idea. From the look of it, the dark haired lawyer could do with a little loosening up too. It couldn't be good to have all that anger bottled up anyway. Kid smiled at the thought as he caught one of Law's legs and stared down at the hate laden glare Law had aimed his way. Kid was going to say something, but decided against it, as he was currently more liable to start cursing at Law instead.

No doubt Law would return the verbal abuse, and make it clear just how much he apparently hated the redhead.

Kid decided that he would make his intentions clear through his actions, and as a first step, he leaned his head over the leg he had captured in one hand, and dragged the fabric of the pants with his hand to leave a kiss just above the other man's ankle. He grinned when Law tried to free his leg, and merely held on tighter as he removed the shoe that was there. Law was a smart guy. Kid figured that he would guess his intentions fairly quickly, if he hadn't already. Kid could only hope that he didn't get too much fury from Law for what he was about to do. Though Kid rather doubted it, given Law's previous thoughts on the matter.

-x

Law only had to watch Kid remove his other shoe before he figured out the direction the other man's mind had taken. Law was not at all pleased with the way his day had turned out to be so far. He'd been raped, kidnapped, had watched Corazon get shot, and had then been whisked away to some seedy part of town, only to end up back on a bed and to the part where Kid wanted to, from the look of his, blow his mind.

Several times, no doubt, if the other's obvious eagerness was anything to go by.

Law kicked Kid as soon as he freed one of his legs, but was disappointed when it did not deter the redhead in the least bit from his lusty thoughts. It only seemed to encourage him, and the blue haired lawyer was aggravated because of it. He hated that he was still restrained with handcuffs and the chain around his upper chest, which made deterring the redhead from his amorous thoughts quite a bit more difficult.

If Law had really thought about it, he would have stopped making any kind of response to Kid's actions. Not only did Kid seem to get a kick out of the blue haired lawyer's continued resistance, but that resistance appeared to only arouse the redhead more with every passing second. Law inwardly cursed Doflamingo as Kid slid onto the bed. That pink wearing, smiling lunatic was going to damn well compensate him for this, because it was partially the blond's fault he was in this position to begin with. The dark haired man's thoughts were broken as soon as Kid's lips started to trace along his skin curiously, and it was all Law could do to keep himself quiet.

Law was not going to let Kid think that he was going enjoy this, even if his body had other ideas due to the redhead's touch.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Oh look, another chapter (FYI/reminder that the kidxlaw in this chapter is not consensual).

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kid gave Law no time to react as he kicked his boots off and climbed onto the bed after the dark haired lawyer, and straddled Law's lower waist. Kid wasted no time in beginning to explore what skin he could reach as he went about undoing the chain that was looped around the blue haired man's upper body. He had wanted to get annoying thing out of the way ever since he had put it around Law's arms. Kid hadn't wanted to limit the other man's movements so much, but at the time it was the only thing that Kid could think of at the time to prevent Law from making the escape more difficult than it already seemed to be with all the cops that had been outside of the apartment.

The redhead took a few seconds more to explore Law's skin before he quickly pulled back in time to catch the lawyer's handcuffed wrists from striking his head. He figured as much that Law would try something as soon as his arms had regained some of their mobility. Kid laughed as he brought Law's clenched hands up to his lips to kiss the fingers of the nearest one. "I like how feisty you are even though you have nowhere to run to even if you do get out of this apartment."

Law had his lips pursed as he watched the redhead kiss his other hand, "That won't stop me from trying."

"I know." Kid said simply, and he increased the grip he had on Law's wrists to prevent the other man from lashing out again, and instead inspected the tattoos he could see on the back of Law's hands. "Interesting. Any reason why you have 'death' tattooed on your hands? Are you secretly a murderer or something?"

"Only if I get my hands on you." Law said simply, "It is none of your business anyway."

"S'fine. I'll ask some other time." Kid said in response. He nearly laughed at the harassed look Law gave him, "Hey, maybe you will? Who knows?"

"Maybe I'll tell you when you're locked behind bars." Law said vaguely, shifting slightly beneath Kid's weight, and no doubt testing the strength the redhead had on his wrists. Law almost immediately stopped resisting when he found that it was clearly useless to try and break the hold Kid had, and gave Kid a bored look, "Were you actually going to do anything, or were you just planning on sitting there and admiring my tattoos?" Law watched as Kid grinned and nuzzled his cheek along his hands. "And would you stop that already? Or have you put it from your mind that I currently hate you and are distracting yourself from that fact?"

Kid was getting more impatient about ridding both his own clothes and the rest of Law's every time the other man opened his mouth. The redhead hated that it was turning him on with all of the snark this man was laying on him, and it was getting old with Law repeating on the fact that he did not like him. "I haven't forgotten that you want to stick a knife in my back if given the chance. But you won't get it any time soon." With a slight twist of the hand that held Law's wrists, the blue haired man let out a grunt of pain and went momentarily limp. Kid pulled Law's wrists up over his head, and hastily used the thin linked chain from before to secure the chain between the handcuffs to the headboard. Kid tugged at it to adjust it until there was only enough slack to allow Law to remain flat on his back.

"Shit." Law said under his breath, before he began to tug at the chain in a futile attempt to free the handcuffs.

Kid settled back over Law, pleased with the sight he was presented with as Law's arms stained against the chain in a futile attempt to free the handcuffs from the headboard. Looking down at Law and his tanned skin damn near made Kid salivate at the prospect of leaving kisses and bite-marks all over the other man's body. No that Law would be quiet about it with his protests. But Kid pushed that aside as he eyed the way the lawyer's muscles flexed. Damn, he had thought that Law was a skinny guy, but he obviously worked out with abs like those. He just wouldn't outmuscle Kid if the two had happened to get into a fist fight. Kid laughed at the thought. He rather doubted that Law had ever gotten into a street fight, but the prospect was amusing. The taut stomach made Kid stare even more as he looked Law up and down. Damn, the blue haired lawyer was as hot as he'd thought from when he'd fist seen him from inside the closet in the man's house.

Law had apparently given up the hope of escape, and he shifted again, though he couldn't exactly move to either side because Kid's knees were on either side of him from where he was settled over his waist. The blue haired lawyer narrowed his eyes at Kid when he noticed the hungry look in Kid's eyes, and the sight of him slowly removing the tight black shit he had been wearing. "Don't you even think about it." Law growled dangerously, as he tried and failed to remove Kid from where he was straddling his waist, but didn't have the right amount of leverage to do it. "I am not in the mood for sex. Nor will I ever be around you. You should get that through that thick head of yours, you bastard."

"Too late." Kid said simply as he tossed his shirt aside and leaned over to rest his arms and hands on either side of Law's head. He was intent on continuing the kiss that he had given Law in the car. Much to Kid's disappointment, the kiss ended up being a brief one, as Law had immediately bit him in retaliation. It didn't overly bother Kid as he drew back with a smile, "You know a bite ain't gonna stop me, right?"

"You are so damn pushy." Law was not in the mood for arguing with someone so obviously wrapped up in themselves. Not to mention Law clearly knew that there was the looming prospect of being forced upon again. "Are you really so oblivions that you don't even notice what you're doing?"

Kid was perplexed, and said as much, "Um...other than trying to have sex with you and you're being a pain?"

"I do not know why I even bothered. You clearly have a warped perspective in that mind of yours. In what way is this at all right?" Law turned his head away from Kid when he noticed the other man drawing nearer to him. "Leave me alone." When Kid only got closer, Law struggled to strain his head further away, but was unable to avoid the light kiss Kid laid on his nearest cheek. "Fuck you." Law spat venomously as Kid drew away with a soft laugh.

"That's kind of the idea. I've wanted to fuck you again ever since the first time. You're driving me crazy." Kid moved back a little so that he could tug his own pants down and tossed them off the edge of the bed. Kid moved to one side to hook his thumbs into either side of Law's waistband, when he noticed the again hostile look on Law's face. "Don't give me that." Kid said irritably as he tugged Law's pants down. He sighed when the dark haired man merely snapped his legs together. "Shit, you're making this more difficult, you know." Kid knew he should have expected the spiteful response.

"Because I do not want you doing it, you fucking idiot."

Kid smiled at that, and rested his upper body over Law's waist as he resumed ridding the blue haired man's body. Kid took his time with the boxers too, until the both of them were naked. It was then that Law again protested, squirming beneath Kid as the redhead inched his way back up to curl a hand through the dark haired lawyer's hair.

Law knew what was coming, but with the way Kid had his hand in his hair, there wasn't much he could do to prevent Kid from kissing him again. But he wasn't going to let it last.

Kid felt Law tentatively return the kiss, or perhaps he was just imagining it. When he felt a light bite to his lower lip, Kid's own lips curled. Then again, maybe he wasn't. He didn't think Law would take things lying down, given that he didn't appear to like someone telling him what to do. It made the kiss more interesting, anyway, and Kid let his eyes close briefly to enjoy it now that Law didn't seem to be protesting the idea as much. Kid really didn't quite understand what it was about this man that aroused him so much, but what Kid did know was that he wanted to feel the other man writhing beneath him as he did the first time.

Law made a muffled sound into the kiss, an almost distressed noise, before he harshly bit into it again.

Kid, instead of drawing back this time as he had earlier, let the hand in Law's hair move to the other man's jaw. Kid guessed that Law must have been biding his time, because it almost felt as if the man were going to try to bite him again. Kid applied some pressure to either side of Law's jaw, and forced it open so that the dark haired man couldn't bite down. Or to at the very least dissuade him from the idea. If Law were going to make things difficult, Kid would make do with this until Law stopped trying to bleed him in some way or another.

Disregarding the muffled sound of surprise, Kid angled his head to deepen the kiss. The redhead kept his fingers firmly in place, silently warning Law against the action of biting him. Kid felt himself growing more aroused when he heard Law groan something into the kiss and twitch beneath him as if trying to get away from him. Kid let the pressure of his grip tighten until Law went limp beneath his touch with a faint whimper of pain. Since Kid was so into the kiss, he didn't appear to notice that Law had started to shake faintly.

Kid released the kiss after a few moments longer until he had felt Law's resistance to it fade, before he allowed the dark haired lawyer to let his head drop onto the sheets so that he could regain his breath. Kid moved his attention to the side of Law's throat, and began to leave kisses along the side of the tan skin, reveling in the shiver that the action drew. Kid's other hand trailed lightly along Law's shoulder as he bit down in the general area where the other man had bit him earlier in the car.

Law seemed to regain his voice by then as he spoke shakily, "Stop."

Kid paused for a moment at the seriousness in the other's voice, before he dismissed it and continued his slow perusal of the other body. All the while the redhead was trying to figure out why the man was so opposed to him. Other than the whole kidnapping thing. Surely Law didn't mind him too much if he seemed to be enjoying all of the touches Kid was currently giving on him. The little moans and gasps here and there as Kid found a particularly sensitive spot. It meant something, didn't it? But then again...Law continued to threaten him when he could.

A seed of doubt was in the back of Kid's mind, but right now, he couldn't stop himself with the way Law looked the more he ran his hands and lips over him.

As Kid made his way down the side of Law's neck to his shoulder, and then started down his chest, one hand splayed over the skin as the dark haired lawyer started to shudder again. The redhead was distracted once more as Law spoke again, the chain clinking again as the blue haired man tugged at his restraints.

"Please, stop." Law took a breath as Kid again paused, but the success of gaining the other's attention vanished as Kid resumed moving lower. Law clenched his jaw to hold back a moan, before he tried again. Kid had to have known that this was wrong. So why wasn't he stopping? "Dammit, I know you can hear me." Law bit back what would have been a no doubt embarrassing moan. "Stop this."

Kid was silent for a moment, before he finally looked up from the tanned skin to Law's face, and was surprised to see the other man's eyes locked on him. The redhead almost listened to what was being asked of him, but after seeing the flexing that Law's arms were making, Kid felt the lusty feelings return, and he suddenly didn't feel like accommodating the other man right that instant. And felt the need to justify what he was doing and covering up any lingering doubt with a growled response. "No. You fucked things up by making those calls."

"You fucking abducted me! Of course I was going to try and get a hold of someone. Do not try to be a victim here. If anyone should be that, it is me." Law said darkly, and was relieved when Kid slid off of him and went to wander the small apartment closet nearby. Though Law doubted that the redhead was through with his yet. The blue haired lawyer somehow had the feeling that Kid was not one to stop when he started something. Law turned his head to look in the direction Kid had gone, subconsciously trying to free his arms from the chain again. "What are you doing?" Law questioned after a few minutes had gone by. As soon as he saw Kid return, Law immediately rose as quickly as he could into a seated position. Despite being aware that he was stark naked, Law pressed himself up against the headboard, furious at the sight he was presented with as the redhead walked back toward the bed. "Don't even think about doing anything more to me than you already done. Even if you use those things, it won't change the fact that I am not interested in having sex with you."

"Like I fucking care what you think." Kid didn't, not really, and he really, really wanted to get this over with so that he could get a move on with things. He needed a release, and he was sure that Law, despite his protests, liked a good fuck every now and then. He had certainly seemed to like it the first time, even if he had protested and even denied any pleasure from it afterward. Kid almost felt guilt with what he was going to do, but he was damned if he was going to let this hoity-toity lawyer tell him what to do.

The redhead climbed onto the bed and pressed up against Law, who tried to fight back, but there was only so much he could do with his arms restrained the way they were. Kid forced the blindfold over Law's eyes first, and secured it loosely around the back of the other man's head. Kid ducked back to avoid the blue haired man from his attempt to blindly head-butt him, before Kid reached up and grabbed Law by his jaw again. Kid held a gag in his other hand, and pressed it up against Law's lips. "Open up. I said I was gonna do it if I didn't want to hear you bitch and moan about shit."

Law clamped his jaw down and pressed his lips firmly together, clearly refusing to go along with whatever it was that Kid had planned.

Kid dug his fingers lightly against either side of Law's jaw in slight warning, "I can open it myself, but I don't think you want me to. You didn't seem to like me forcing your mouth open before."

Law growled out a few words from between clenched teeth. "I am going to kill you."

Kid raised his brow at that, before he began to grin deviously. "While tied up? That'd be pretty fucking impressive if you could do that. Want to show me right now before we fuck?"

Law made an incensed sound and opened his mouth to snarl a response, when he was interrupted by the gag being stuffed into his mouth. The dark haired lawyer made a displeased grumble as Kid secured it behind his head, as he clearly realized that he had been tricked in that instant.

"You can threaten me all you want tomorrow. I am still curious on how you plan to kill me if you don't have any weapons on you and you're handcuffed." Kid commented, before he scooted backwards, taking Law with him. Law tired to resist, but with the blindfold, he didn't have as much warning to prevent Kid from giving him a hefty shove in the chest that sent him toppling backward onto his back.

Law issued another growl of displeasure around the gag as he shifted slightly so that he wasn't lying at an uncomfortable angle. Then, without warning, he kicked out a leg and caught Kid against the side of one of his hips.

Kid grunted at the contact, and with a heavy sigh of irritation, spoke, "Fine. I was gonna have you on your back for this, but if you're gonna keep kicking me I guess we're going to have to do it a different way." With barely an effort, Kid reached under one of Law's hips and flipped the other man over onto his stomach.

Law scrambled to try and right himself, but Kid dropped comfortably over his back to prevent the attempt.

Kidd nuzzled his nose along the side of Law's neck as he breathed against the skin, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you enjoy it too."

Law's series of muffled words, coupled with the clearly hostile tone from beneath the gag made it clear that he highly doubted Kid would be able to accomplish such a feat.

"Well, if you don't relax, it won't be as fun." Kid commented, as he reached over and grabbed a small bottle of lube. It had figured that this small studio apartment had been stocked with such things, but it was more that the person whose place this was didn't want to run out of anything when he happened to bring someone home from the bar. Kid popped open the lube and vaguely wondered if the guy had ever settled on one specific person yet. He'd heard rumors that the guy had, but if nothing else, all the stockpiling was convenient for Kid right now.

Kid felt Law wriggle beneath him, clearly uncomfortable, and decided that unlike the first time, he actually did want Law to enjoy himself. So, Kid shifted off of the dark haired lawyer and held him up by looping an arm around his waist. Kid waited until Law had stopped wiggling before he pressed up against the line of his back lightly and let his free hand sneak lower to wrap around Law's member.

Law twitched in surprise at the sudden contact, as if he hadn't expected Kid to bother trying to pleasure him.

Kid trailed the arm that was around Law's waist up to his chest, so that he could tug the dark haired man's back against his own as he leaned over and whispered in an ear, "I dunno, Trafalgar. You don't seem to mind my hand right now." Kid ran his hand along for a moment, before he spoke again with a grin, "You're getting pretty hard. Is this just another automatic response or some shit like that?"

Law made a muffled grunt around the gag, but otherwise did nothing else, as he seemed to still be in shock. After a little time had passed, however, Law shivered and shifted his hips in an effort to get Kid to move his hand faster. Or to move it away from his body completely.

Kid wasn't sure which it was, so he just kept on toying with the other man's length, before he left it alone. Kid grinned as Law wriggled unhappily, obviously aroused enough that he wanted a release from it. Well, that was too damn bad, because Kid wanted to be in him before he let him get off. Kid grabbed the lube again and trailed the hand that wasn't holding Law up on his hands and knees down his back. "Was yesterday the first time you bottomed with someone?"

Law let out a faint whimper, but Kid didn't know whether that was an affirmation of his question, or because he had stated to loosen the dark haired man up with the lube after he had asked it.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter right now. I was just curious, cause you didn't exactly seem to be protesting too much about me touching you." Kid commented absently as he left a trail of kisses along the side of the other's neck.

Law's breathing had become quicker than before, and Kid leaned his head over the dark haired man's shoulder to see that the reason he was so uncomfortable was because he was so damn hard by now. Funny, Kid wouldn't have thought that it would have been so easy to get Law to that point with all his hostility from before.

Kid rested his chin on Law's shoulder as he dropped the lube and fished around for a condom, "Good thing they had my size in the cupboard."

That clearly wasn't something Law wanted to hear, because the blue haired man tried to move away again, even though Kid still had an arm around his waist. Not to mention that Law's hands were literally tied, and there wasn't really anywhere he could go.

Kid didn't waste any more time as he pressed up against Law and after a moment to position himself, let out a sigh as he got in a lot more easily than last time. Kid kissed the side of Law's neck briefly before he groaned something under his breath and spoke shakily, "Fuck, you're still so fucking tight."

Law didn't sympathize with that, but he did seem to realize that the only way to get things over with was to get it going already.

As soon as Kid felt Law tentatively shove back against him with a muffled murmur, the redhead responded in turn by giving a tentative thrust. As soon as Kid made sure that he wasn't going to be hurting Law too much, he increased his tempo.

And then Kid decided that there was no stopping until he was finished once he started to hear all the fucking moaning Law was issuing from behind the gag.

At least Kid remembered in his lusty haze of thought to make sure that this time around he finished what he had started for Law. The redhead was fairly certain that the moan that emitted from Law when the two of them finally came would have more than likely been a scream had the gag been gone. Or a curse, Kid supposed, depending on the kind of mood that Law was in after the brief fucking they had done. At this point the redhead didn't care if it was one or the other.

Kid hadn't realized how stressed out he had been until the exhaustion hit him. He pulled away from Law to let the other man curl up slightly on the bed, and had half the mind to snuggle up against his back. As soon as it crossed his mind, Kid supposed that another round of screwing Law into exhaustion was not going to happen that day with how sleepy he felt right now.

Maybe another time.

Kid supposed that he was tired enough as it was from the day's events that he didn't even try to do anything else. With a yawn, Kid turned Law back over onto his back, before he dropped his hand over Law's waist. He pointedly chose to ignore the flinch that came from Law when he touched the other man's bare skin. The redhead snuggled his head on top of Law's nearest shoulder. Kid heard Law shift, his hands still handcuffed and attached to the headboard by the chain. Kid would deal with that after he'd gotten some sleep. He would need a shower the following morning, and so would Law, and that was going to be an interesting experience depending on the other man's mood. If he woke up hostile, Kid wasn't sure how he would get the man to take one short of manhandling him into the bathroom and locking him in.

But Kid would leave that hassle for the next day.

Before Kid dozed off, he had the thought to remove the gag, though he left the blindfold for now. By the way the other man's body had gone rigid, the redhead was fairly certain that he did not want to see the other man's expression. If there was an outburst of anger, Kid would rather deal with it after he had gotten some rest. The redhead was actually kind of surprised that Law hadn't decided to heap any verbal abuse on him now when it was clear that he was not happy with what had just happened.

Kid was fairly certain that Law was grinding his teeth, and didn't know what to make of that either.

As Kid dozed off, he didn't notice that there were tears sliding down the other man's face from beneath the blindfold. Had Kid removed it and bothered to look into Law's eyes, the redhead would have found that the lawyer's expression was dark and hateful for what he had just been forced through.

-x

Law woke abruptly with a harsh intake of air, his heart racing. He was disoriented for a moment as he struggled to rid himself of the last bit of the dream he had just had. Law was fairly sure that the dream had been something to do with his past, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it was. Or why he had felt so afraid before he's woke up. Law only knew that the dream had been incredibly stressful with the jumble of emotions it had put him through, and Law had wanted nothing more than to wake up. Which he had done, and that had only reminded the dark haired lawyer of the situation he was currently in.

Law found himself still in Kid's embrace from the previous evening. The only difference was that by now Kid was clinging to him more tightly, and was pressed closer than he had been when he had fallen asleep. And to make it more humiliating with what had occurred, Law noticed that he was still handcuffed and trapped by the chain connected to the headboard. Law realized that he was still blindfolded, so he couldn't see Kid, but he could hear the redhead breathe in his sleep. It bothered Law that Kid's breathing was even and calm, as if the other man didn't have a care in the world. Several ways to kill the son of a bitch surfaced in Law's mind, but there was literally nothing that he could do right now, especially since he couldn't see anything.

The blue haired man was rather disappointed when Kid seemed to have realized he was awake, because not too long after Law himself had woken, Kid decided to ruin his morning by waking up and acting as if he hadn't just forced himself on him again the evening before. Law wondered if Kid were delusional or something, or if he simply didn't want to think that Law wanted to kill him even more now than he had before. Law blinked as the blindfold was removed, and he was met with Kid grinning away as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Want a shower?"

Law blinked at the unexpected question, but as soon as it was suggested, he shook his head. He wouldn't put it past Kid to try and have shower sex, and Law was simply too sore and demoralized right now to deal with that, or to even put up a good fight right now. Law held perfectly still as Kid removed the chain from the head of the bed, and, after retrieving a key, unlocked the handcuffs. Law was too shocked by the action to do anything, and Kid must have noticed, because he laughed.

"Like hell you don't want a shower." Kid shook his head, and with hardly any effort, scooped Law up and carried him over to the bathroom, "You were complaining about it yesterday."

Law pressed his hands up against Kid's chest, though why he did so when it clearly would do no good, Law wasn't sure, "I'm rather surprised you even remember, you sex fiend."

"Hm, nicknames already? I thought you were gonna kill me?" Kid set Law down and shoved him into the bathroom, his next words said in an overly cheerful way as if to cover up some other emotion, "Don't waste all the hot water. I'll go find some clothes for you." The door closed before the dark haired lawyer could even think to respond.

-x

Law stared at the door that had practically been slammed in his face, and decided he would do just that. Take a hot shower and leave no warmth for Kid to take anything but a cold shower.

Law regretted his impromptu decision only after he had stolen all of the warm water from the shower. He knew that he shouldn't have stayed in as long as he had, but Law felt ridiculously satisfied that he had wasted all the hot water. The blue haired man just felt very hot and dizzy now because of how hot he had had the shower, and almost didn't notice Kid enter the bathroom until the redhead caught him as he tripped over his own feet. Law felt a towel wrap around him, followed by Kid's exasperated voice.

"What the hell? Did you actually use up all the hot water?"

Law didn't answer, and merely sagged against Kid, as the redhead was a convenient way to remain upright. He didn't even protest when one of Kid's hands rested lightly over his forehead.

"You feel kinda hot." Kid shook his head again at the lack of response, before he scooped Law up without as much protest this time around, and carried the dark haired lawyer out of the bathroom and into the small living room, before he set him down on a chair near the TV.

Law promptly closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Damn, he had overdone it with the heat. Kid was right. He did feel a little warmer than before.

"Try not to kill yourself while I take a shower." Kid commented, before he retreated into the bathroom without a backwards glance.

Law sat silently for a few moments, interested in the fact that Kid didn't seem to think that he would try and run if he wasn't keeping an eye on him. Law considered the prospect of fleeing, but decided against it because he still felt too hot to move with much coordination right now. Not to mention that he was naked beneath the towel, though he wouldn't be too embarrassed to go running into the general populace in only a towel if it meant he would get away from Kid. But in this part of the city...he wasn't going to risk it.

Law did not want to run into the people that wanted him dead, and being in an unsafe part of the city made him more likely to come across someone like that.

To amuse himself until Kid emerged from the shower, Law grabbed a nearby control and turned on the TV. He assumed the morning news would still be on, and a little distraction from how sore he still was would be welcome. Law stared at the screen for a moment as he listened to the current report, before he began to smile smugly. Law leaned back in the chair in as comfortable a way as he could and turned the TV up to better hear the broadcast, and his smile only grew with everything that was being said.

Law immediately came to the decision that this morning wasn't so bad. Kid was so screwed now that his face was being shown on the morning news.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: This chapter was a part of the last one, but it got too long to have it be one chapter, so I broke it into two.


	10. Chapter 10

Kid took a shorter shower than he normally would have, as he was paranoid that Law might take the chance to bolt. Kid wouldn't put it past him to, at the very least, give it a shot. If only to try and aggravate him, as Law seemed inclined to do when he had the chance. Such as biting him in the car when they'd escaped from the redhead's apartment. Kid ran his hands through his hair, making a half assed attempt to get the shampoo through all of it, but at the same time, not really caring if he did.

The thought of Law running was almost laughable at the moment, because it didn't seem like it would be in the lawyer's best interest to do so. It was a crappy part of the city after all, and Kid wasn't even sure if Law knew how to fend for himself. The red head close his eyes and let the water splash him in the face as he issued a snigger at the condition he had left Law in, in the small living room. Even if the dark haired man had seemed out of it after overheating in the shower, Kid wasn't exactly sure if Law would try an escape attempt anyway. Despite likely knowing that it was a shady part of the city that the red head had brought him to.

Kid let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the shampoo out of it as his mind strayed to the sex that he and Law had had the night before. It had been rather exciting, and Law's resistance had made it even more so, especially when the other man had started to respond and moan and look utterly ravishing while Kid fucked him. It had been an erotic sight, and the way that Law's chest had been heaving from exertion...the way he'd been gasping for air…that was definitely a sight the red head would not mind seeing again.

The sooner, the better.

Kid let out a small groan and tried to banish the thoughts from his mind before he got so aroused that he would have to take the time to jerk off in the shower. Not that he wouldn't have taken the time to do so, with the image of Law in his mind so clear. That wasn't a problem at all. What was the issue was the idea that Law might take advantage of his absence. Kid needed to get out of the bathroom and go check on the blue haired lawyer to make sure that he hadn't made himself scarce while he took his sweet time in the shower.

The red head shut off the shower and nabbed the nearest towel to halfheartedly ruffled his hair with the towel, before wrapping it around his waist and exiting the bathroom. As Kid took a few steps toward the living room, he tried to decide which clothing he could borrow from the owner of the studio apartment, when he stopped short. The mundane thought of clothes were forgotten.

It looked like all that worry Kid had had about Law tucking tail and making a run for it was all for nothing.

The blue haired lawyer was right where Kid had left him, but the red head was honestly surprised to see Law resting so comfortably on the cushioned chair in the living room. Kid was distracted by the extremely attractive and satisfied smile that was on the other man's face as Law watched the news, and the fact that he was still only had a towel wrapped around his waist made it even more attractive then Kid thought ought to be fair.

Law must have noticed the other attention on him, because he looked away from the TV to regard Kid. With a smirk plastered across his face as if he's seen the funniest thing on the TV, Law addressed the look of confusion on Kid's face, "You're fucked no matter what you decide to do." The dark haired man ran his hand through still wet hair as he indicated the TV with his other hand.

Kid's frown deepened as he stepped closer to take in what had Law so damn pleased. The red head stared, rooted to the spot, before he swore as he realized just what he was seeing. The icing on the cake of Kid's continued spiral into a screwed up life was when Law asked him a question, his voice full of spite.

"Do you have any last requests? I may indulge you before your demise. It is only a matter of time before they find us." Law watched Kid's profile with a careful eye for any reaction, and was rather satisfied that the red head was preoccupied with the news. "Though if Cora-san or Doflamingo find you first..." Law let the implied threat linger.

For once, Kid had nothing to say to Law in retort, as his eyes and attention were glued to the TV and the news being broadcasted. Otherwise, he would have been liable to throw a punch at the blue haired lawyer for being an asshole about his continued misfortune. Kid stared hard at the news anchor, as if he had been the one to offend him greatly in some way or another.

'…_again, for this breaking news, let us go to our correspondent on the scene.'_

A cheerful young woman appeared on the screen.

'_This is live from in front of police headquarters in the north of the city. Moments ago there was an announcement made of the abduction of a lawyer from the Donquixote Law firm. Trafalgar Law." _Law's picture was shown, before the screen went back to the reporter._ 'He was to represent Portgaz D. Ace in an upcoming trial. It is unknown at this time whether or not the trial will be delayed, or if there will be a change in representation. The Donquixote firm has yet to respond with answers regarding that particular case.' _

The news anchor's voice came over with another question. _'Is there anything else known at this time?'_

The reporter on the scene gave a nod_. 'Yes. The police have been informed by a tip from an outside source that, while Trafalgar Law's whereabouts are currently unknown, that they have learned that the culprit is Eustass Kid.'_

Kid's picture was shown.

Kid stared at the screen numbly as he listened to the rest of the report, though he couldn't really focus on it due to the fact that his picture was now all over the country by now. And more worryingly, the city he was still in, instead of hightailing it out of there like he should have. How could he have not anticipated something like this happening? In a detached kind of way, and even though it didn't matter in the least, Kid inwardly thought that they could have picked a worse photo. At least he didn't look like too much of a thug in the shot they had been showing. Kid tuned back into the report, though it had now wound down to the end.

The reporter was back on the screen. '_Any information about the abduction that will lead to Law's whereabouts are to be given directly to the police. A hotline will be set up for any tips. A to be determined reward is currently being worked on by the Donquixote firm, to be announced soon.'_

Kid took a step forward as he reached out and turned off the TV. He had heard enough, and the idea of getting the hell out of the city while he still could was sounding more and more like a good idea. Kid stared at the black screen before he spoke as calmly as he could, to hide how freaked out he was about the prospect of being found. "My picture won't do them any good if they can't find me. Or you." Kid heard a soft laugh, and half turned to glare at Law, "What the hell is so damn funny?"

Law absently hitched the towel around his waist tighter as if aware of Kid's eyes on him. The blue haired lawyer ran a hand through his hair again and offered a sharp smile at the red head. Law was not going to miss the opportunity to rile the red head up, as it was well deserved for what Kid had put him through only a few hours ago. Sex could be good, but not when someone forced it onto an unwilling participant. "Use your head, you idiot. If word of you kidnapping me is out on the national news, shouldn't a lot of people see it?"

"So what?" Kid wondered. He didn't see what Law was getting at. However, it could also have been because Kid was trying his best to think of a way to get out of the city without being spotted by good Samaritans that would pass news of his appearance on to the police. And if the Donquixote firm was in on it with the police, it would follow that those people would be after him as well. Who else would Law be hinting at that would have seen the report? Kid was at a loss until Law spoke, and as soon as the blue haired man had said it, Kid felt like the idiot Law had said he was. Because it was the first thing that Kid should have thought of as soon as it was clear that the person Law had talked to had passed on his identity to the police.

Law's voice was vindictive as he issued his next query. "If those who have hired you to kill me see the news, what will they do?"

Kid's face fell immediately as Law's words sunk in. The dark haired lawyer was right. He was so fucked if those people found out that he had lied to them. Kid stared at the dark haired lawyer for a moment, before he swore, "Fuck."

Law smirked at Kid's expression of dawning realization. The blue haired man figured that if the media knew and had passed it on to those who had been watching the news, that it would only be a matter of time before Kid was located.

And caught.

Law blamed his sudden elation on the turn that his situation had taken for his next action as he removed his towel. Law tossed the towel aside and stretched out on the chair, "I'm still hot."

Kid stared at the now naked Law, his eyes roving over the other man slowly to appreciate the view, even if the other man wore a tiny smirk and was obviously up to something. What the hell was with the sudden mood change? Kid was trying to think, dammit. He didn't need this kind of distraction right now. He was trying to figure out how to get out of the city, or at the very least, lie low so that no one would find him for the time being.

"Something the matter?" Law asked mildly, as if he hadn't just turned Kid on by revealing himself. Law rose from the chair and approached the redhead, highly entertained that the other had backed up slightly. it was almost cute, in a way, if Law weren't still angry with the red head for taking advantage of him not once, bit twice. The blue haired lawyer soon had Kid trapped against a wall, and Law reached out to slide a hand beneath the other's chin. "Or were you thinking about something other than the news?"

Kid repeated the word he'd said earlier, this time with more feeling as Law pressed closer to him. "Fuck." The redhead wasn't sure what would kill him first. Law and his sudden change in attitude, or the people who had hired Kid when they found out that he hadn't killed the dark haired lawyer.

-x

"What will the people that hired you to kill me do to you when they learn that I am alive?" Law smiled further, not noticing that Kid stiffened with every word. Law rested his head against Kid's chest and trailed a few fingers along Kid's bare skin. "I suppose I could hide and let them deal with you, then go find Cora-san and the others to drag you to jail. If you're still alive, that is." Law winced, completely taken aback when Kid's hands were suddenly on his shoulders and shoving him away. Law, unprepared for the force with which Kid had shoved him with, stumbled backward before he fell over and smacked the back of his head against the ground with a hiss of pain.

What the hell?

Law scowled, wondering if Kid were going to try and fuck him again, when he felt one of the red head's hands wrap around his throat and squeeze, pressing him further against the carpeted floor. Law took a harsh breath before he tried to pry Kid's hand off of his throat. Law stopped, however, when Kid suddenly had a knife to the side of this throat with his free hand. Where had the weapon come from? Law stilled, utterly confused at Kid's actions.

What was going on?

Law had been sure that Kid would have taken advantage of the fact that the two of them had no clothes, but apparently, Law had struck a nerve, and was paying for it. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut for the time being. Law honestly hadn't expected Kid to snap. He thought the redhead didn't have it in him to be anything other than an aggravating sex fiend with a mind to kidnap people.

"Or I could just kill you now, and let them think the media was mistaken with the report." Kid hadn't let his hand grip Law's throat too tightly, as he was still on the fence about what to do now. Kill Law and salvage things between him and his….temporary employer, or knock the sly son of bitch out and try to figure out if the studio apartment they were currently in was well hidden enough to keep prying eyes away. Kid's voice low and dangerous when he muttered to Law under his breath, his thoughts still straying, "I did tell them that I had needed more time to catch you. So it wouldn't be that unusual to think that someone was abducted, 'cause it might take more time to make them kick the bucket."

Law was surprised at how serious Kid sounded, and tensed when he felt the knife rest heavier against his throat. The blue haired man chose his next words carefully, acutely aware that if Kid chose to apply the right pressure with his hand, the red head could easily crush his throat. "I thought you said it would be a shame to kill me?"

Kid considered Law for a moment, before he responded, with a grin, "It would be, but I'm not in the mood to take any bullshit from you. If you're gonna try and be seductive, don't go faking it and sayin' you want those guys to gut me or something."

"You will be disappointed in that regard. I have no intention being genuine with you." Law wheezed, and regretted the words immediately, as the red head chose to take offense to them.

"Too bad." Kid said, as he let the pressure ride for a moment around Law's throat. He continued to choke the other man even when Law's hand had wrapped around his wrist to try and tug it away. Kid laughed at the useless gesture. He had leverage over the dark haired lawyer, so there wasn't much he could do to stop him. Stupid son of a bitch didn't know when to shut his damn mouth. Kid did not want to think about what would happen if _those_ particular people that hired him got a hold of him with a very alive Law. Kid grit his teeth and swore under his breath. And this all wouldn't have been an issue for him in the first place if he had just killed Law when he had the chance, but...

Law began to gasp for air, not able to say anything now. He did notice them manic glint in Kid's eyes, however, and from that alone it seemed as if Kid had changed his mind about killing him. Law gripped Kid's wrist again and futilely tried to pry it away again. The look in the red head's eyes...It was definitely not the look of a sane individual. It also appeared as if Kid were in his own little world right now, and not really paying attention to the fact that he was slowly choking him to death. Law issued a distressed sound. Why the hell had he pushed Kid like that? He hadn't any idea what the other man was like but for a few interactions between them. All because he felt fierce satisfaction that the cops knew about his abduction, as well as Cora-san, whom he had told in the first place. Law struggled to pull Kid's hand away as a thought crossed his mind.

He didn't want to die like this.

As soon as the thought took root, Law began to panic when he realized that his vision was starting to speckle from lack of air. Shit. Law hadn't realized that the red head was going to go off the deep end like this. And Kid was still apparently not paying attention to what he was doing, from the look of concentration on his face.

Law felt close to blacking out by the time Kid seemed to come back to reality of the present, but by then the dark haired lawyer wasn't really concerned about what was going on in Kid's head. He just wanted to get a proper breath of air. Law's eyes rolled back and he went limp, though he dimly felt the pressure around his throat was now gone. Not that that seemed to matter right now, since Law still found it hard to try and breathe.

"Shit."

Law dimly thought he heard Kid say something else, but he could only twitch as the red head began to massage this throat as gently as he could. Funny, Law thought that Kid had changed his mind and wanted to kill him. The blue haired lawyer felt the sensation of being lifted, and seemed to realize that he should try to breathe again. Law took a shuddering gasp before he started to cough and weakly try to move out of Kid's grasp. When that wasn't working, and it seemed to much of an effort, Law leaned heavily against something.

Kid probably.

Shaking, Law took a deep breath before he sagged more heavily against the red head. Law again heard Kid's voice speak, but couldn't make out the words. The red head sounded worried. Uncertain. Hesitant. Was he asking if he was all right?

Law would have laughed if he had had the breath and energy to do so at the very thought. Instead, he let out a faint whimper as Kid's hand rested against his bare shoulder lightly.

"Trafalgar?"

Oh, he could hear a little better that time around. Maybe more oxygen was getting to his brain now. Law felt Kid's hand rest against his skin further, and the dark haired lawyer flinched away. "Don't touch me…" Law mumble slurred. He was glad to still be alive, stupid comments aside, because Law would have hated to wind up dead and have Corazon find him like that…

…find him…

Law let out a strangled gasp as his hands seized Kid's arms. There was something familiar about being so close to death…but it was something that Law could never precisely remember, whether through memory loss or having just completely shut out the painful memories.

"Trafalgar?"

Kid's voice was further away as past memories began to surface in fragments. Things that Law had tried to forget, or had forgotten.

_He couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. He could barely move. But there was something that had not been there before._

_Warmth. _

_The warmth of someone as they held him gently against their chest. The worried questions that had followed soon after. The panicked grip of that presence that was with him. Refusing to let go. Refusing to let Law be alone any longer. _

_The continued words of reassurance, even if the voice never stopped being concerned._

Law whimpered something as he sagged further against Kid. His head hurt from where it had been knocked against the ground by Kid shoving him backward moments earlier.

_It hurt. _

_It hurt it hurt it hurt._

_And then there was the laughter from before, when he was taken away from the hell his life had been for a short time. The__ jeering and the taunting that had seemed endless. The loneliness he had felt during that time was now gone…_

…_Because he'd been saved. _

_Saved from that terror by someone he'd known for only a short time…__before everything had gone wrong and he'd been shut away from the world before help had arrived._

'_Corazon…'_ Law thought the man's name dimly, before he went limp in Kid's grasp and into a dream of the past. The lack of oxygen and the resurfacing of memories had been too much to try and sift through. It had been memories that Law didn't try to think about too much, once Corazon had gotten him away from the mess he'd landed himself in back then.

At the very least, Law's present worries were gone for the time being, though the blue haired lawyer would have probably been pleased to know that fainting in Kid's arms had caused the red head to panic in response.

-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: I am having Cora/Law overload because of the new op chapter and it making me depressed...so the next chapter is going to be part sad and part fluff for Law's memory, and the second half of the chapter will then be picking back up in the main storyline with Corazon (I am writing lots of Corazon and Corazon/Law fluff in this fanfic, though that was already the plan when I thought about it as I started to type the fic up).

The story should pick up after this. I just needed a bit of a transition chapter to get to the next one.

And as for an _Usurped_ update, if anyone is following that fanfic, it is going to be delayed until next weekend (or the weekend after that) because the chapter is essentially Doflamingo being an asshole and making Law hurt his own crew for the first half of it.


	11. Chapter 11

Eleven years ago…

The city, as a whole, did not usually have much criminal activity, or hardly any trouble at all, due to the presence of the police and the high success rate of the law firms in putting caught criminals behind bars. However, that didn't mean that petty crimes wouldn't still take place, because many of the lower rung criminals figured that they would be able to fly under the radar if they stuck to something simple.

And didn't get caught in the act.

There were even those in the city who did not see stealing as a crime, due to the poor pay that some of them received for the jobs they did, despite being overworked on occasion and getting nothing more to show for it than what they normally would make. It wasn't out of the ordinary for someone to be got caught stealing for their family, but because the police were trying to cut down on the crimes in the area, even the petty ones, they had to treat everyone they caught in the act the same, regardless of each individual's circumstances.

Trafalgar Law was no different in the eyes of the cops from a common criminal as they pursued him down the sidewalk, away from a supermarket the young teenager had just rushed out of.

The thirteen year old said a few creative curses that he'd heard adults say on the streets, and tried to run faster, despite being loaded down with groceries he had snatched. Law was hoping that the theft would go unnoticed, but he really couldn't resist stealing a roast chicken, and that was probably what tipped the employees off that Law wasn't bringing the groceries to the register. That, and the fact that he had made a beeline straight for the entrance of the store.

"Hey! You there! Stop!"

Law ignored the police officer's attempt to stop him, and cursed again when he dropped a few of the groceries. It was just his luck that some officers had been in the grocery store parking lot when he'd made a run for it. It was hard not to spot a skinny teenager laden with food and being pursued by some of the employees of store. Though they had stopped as soon as they'd seen the police give chase.

So there Law was, running from law enforcement and losing more of the food he had stolen with each step he took, though he was far more concerned about keeping a tight hold of the chicken. Most unfortunately, he lost that too when he tripped, so now all he had on his person was what he had been able to stuff into his pockets, and it wasn't anywhere near as tasty as that roast chicken would have been. If there could be a positive side to this, Law could now run more quickly, and he wasted no time in trying to put distance between himself and the police officers in pursuit.

Law whipped around a corner, thinking that he would disappear into the alleys, and lie low until the cops had given up chasing him. Though from the sound coming from behind the thirteen year old, Law was very doubtful about being able to slip between the law enforcement's grasp this time. The dark haired teen's stomach grumbled and the Law squeezed his eyes shut as he ran blindly along the alley, tears threatening to fall.

It just wasn't fair. He was hungry, and there was no one around to help him. He'd lost track of the other boys that he had been hanging out with on the street, and there was nowhere for him to go that he knew of to get a free meal. Hell, nowhere to go to get him out of the rut he'd gotten himself stuck into. And now, with the cops so close behind, there was little doubt that he'd be taken off the streets and shoved into some institute that, while he may be able to get food and a place to stay, had heard terrible things from the boys who had been on the streets with him. About how it was almost worse than being out on the street, fending for yourself.

Law was so wrapped up in his thoughts and general misery that he was not looking where he was going. It was quite understandable that he wouldn't, but since he was not paying attention, the blue haired teen ended up running into something solid that made him let out a startled yelp. The force that he had run into the object with caused Law to fall backward onto the ground on his backside, shocking him out of his thoughts as he was forced to pay attention to the present. The young teen adjusted the hat on his head and glared up at what he had run into. It hadn't been a wall, that was for damn sure, and he hated to think he'd run into some punk ass bastards that would be happy to make his already bad day worse…

Law froze in place, holding perfectly still as he tilted his head up slightly as he realized that yes, he had run into somebody, but it wasn't who he would have expected it to be.

The object in question was a very tall, blond haired individual, who was wearing rather eccentric clothing, his head covered by a hood of some kind. He was also smoking and staring down at Law with what appeared to be a quizzical l look, as if he hadn't expected someone to run into him out of the blue.

Law scooted backward discreetly even as the man turned to regard him. The dark haired teen tensed up under the gaze, and decided that the man before him must be some kind of a lunatic. Or at the very least, half crazed. The odd array of clothing seemed out of place with the pattered white button up, even if the pants looked normal enough. The face of the man was what put Law off the most. He either had tattoos or makeup covering his lips in an extended smile past his lips, and a mark beneath his right eye. Law was half distracted by the sound of the police approaching, and in the split second that he turned to take a look of how close, the blond haired man before him decided to make a move.

The dark haired teen let out an indignant gasp as a large hand seized him by the scruff of his neck, and hoisted him into the air. Law switched his gaze back to the blond's and eyed him. Was this man a pedophile? Law didn't like the look in his eyes, even if the man's expression seemed to be faintly amused now.

Law scrunched up defensively even as the man's grip tightened, though Law was a bit confused when the man looked away from him and in the direction he had come from, before the blond's eyes were back on him. In a case of bad timing, Law's stomach decided to grumble again, loud and long, and caused the dark haired teen to flush in embarrassment.

There was a change in the blond haired man's expression, but Law didn't have time to do anything, as the cops were getting closer. He had to get away. The blond, however, gave Law no time to react, as he was suddenly pressed against the man's upper chest. Law's hands scrabbled against the sudden action, and the teen began to panic further when the man's black feathered jacket engulfed him and hid him from sight. Law twitched as he felt the man's hand slide down from gripping the back of his collar to resting against his back lightly. Law started when he heard a low voice.

"Stay silent."

Law didn't want the cops to catch him, so he obliged the request when he normally wouldn't have. He could worry about escape after the cops were gone. Law heard the man go back to smoking, and stilled when the cops were suddenly there.

"Hey. Did you see a kid go by?"

Law's heart was beating a little faster than he would have liked at the prospect of being discovered. The man could easily give him away….

"No."

The simple answer made Law sag with relief, and was pleased that the cops seemed to believe him, because after a whispered discussion, they took off, arguing amongst themselves.

"He could have gone down the other way."

"Check that back alley over there."

Law hadn't realized that he had gripped the man's shirt tightly throughout the exchange, and for the moment, couldn't get his hand to let go, because he was so relieved that the police had moved on. Law did let go as soon as the coat was removed that had hidden him from view.

"So you steal often?" The blond haired man asked, still smoking. "Don't think you'll get caught?"

"Maybe." Law muttered reluctantly, before he started to try and free himself, as the taller man had not let go of him. "Dammit! Let go!"

The blond took a long drag of the cigarette and let it out, before glancing down at the thirteen year old, and spoke again after a moment's thought, "…Got a place to go?"

Law didn't like the assumed 'no' in the other man's voice, and futilely wriggled, "Why the hell would you care? Let _go_ of me!"

The blond haired man started to walk, in the opposite direction that the police had taken but he did not do as Law requested.

"I'll beat you up!" Law threatened, even if it was obviously an empty threat. He couldn't even move the other man's hand enough to get him to stop holding him against his chest.

The man appeared to smile, though it was hard to tell with the makeup or whatever the hell it was, and he shook his head.

It didn't deter Law in the slightest as he continued to threaten the blond. It soon became clear, however, that nothing he could say would change the taller man's mind. And that made Law realize that there was no escape.

Law wondered dimly if it would have been better to let the cops get him.

-x

The walk was long one, and Law had eventually stopped protesting. He's actually even began to doze, lulled into an odd state of relaxation from the sound of the other's heartbeat.

"We're here." The man murmured, as he entered a building.

Where 'here' was, Law wasn't entirely certain, but he knew he would have a hell of a time escaping from inside an unfamiliar building. Law froze against the man that was holding him as a voice suddenly spoke with a laugh.

"Fufufufu. What have you got there, Corazon?"

Law turned his head, and found himself staring at another tall blond haired man, though this one's hair was spikier and he wore tinted sunglasses. The wide smile on his face, however, was very disconcerting.

"He ran into me in an alley, running from the police." The man, Corazon, apparently, responded.

"And why did you bring him here?"

"Doflamingo…Doffy…he was hungry. And he's obviously on his own..." Corazon looked like he wanted to say more, but smiled faintly instead, as if struck by a sudden idea, "...And he has threatened me the entire way home."

The other blond, Doflamingo, laughed again at the very idea. "He's got guts, but I still don't see why you would bother. There are a bunch of brats on the street."

"He said that he would prosecute me and put me behind bars if he were a lawyer." Corazon responded, his voice guarded for some reason or another that Law couldn't figure out why.

Doflamingo got closer, and the reason Corazon had sounded guarded fled his mind. The dark haired teen tensed against Corazon as Doflamingo loomed over him, apparently to get a good look at him. Both blond haired men seemed to be far too tall. It made Law feel smaller than he actually was.

"You want to be a lawyer, hm?"

Law puffed up indignantly at the mock tone in the other blond's voice. "Yes, I do. And when I am I will send you to jail too. Pedophiles." Law freed himself slightly and aimed a kick Doflamingo's way. "And get away. You're too close."

Doflamingo cracked up at that as he easily backed out of the way of Law's kick. "Oh, little brother. You found something quite amusing." Doflamingo seemed far more interested in the blue haired thirteen year old than he had moments before, as he eyed Law for a moment. After some internal deliberation from the looks of it, Doflamingo spoke, "I'll let him stay. Let's see if we can make a lawyer out of him. If nothing else, it should be amusing. And then we'll see if he still wants to put us in jail. Fufufufu."

Law was perplexed about the way the conversation was going, though he flinched against Corazon again as Doflamingo reached out a hand and patted him on the head, the motion jostling him. Law reached up to keep his hat in place and shot a glare at Doflamingo for daring to touch him, even if it had just been his hat.

Doflamingo laughed a little at the reaction before he turned his attention to Corazon, his voice becoming serious again, "While he's here, he's your responsibility." The older Donquixote brother gave his brother a look, to prevent arguing, "Don't forget, I have to run things at work. You can do your share of the work from home, if you have to, so keep an eye on him." Doflamingo jabbed a finger at Law, before he turned away, "I don't have much time for brats like him, unless he turns out to be useful." Doflamingo glanced over his shoulder, "Got it?"

Corazon dipped his head in a nod.

Law could tell that Corazon wasn't happy about something, before it sunk in that he was going to basically be held against his will in someone else's house. Law began to struggle in earnest. "Hey! I never agreed to anything! Let go of me!"

Doflamingo laughed as he left the room, leaving Corazon to deal with a very displeased Law, who obviously didn't like having things decided for him.

Not that Corazon had any difficulty keeping Law in line for the time being. He just carried Law around tucked under an arm or trapped over one shoulder, despite the colorful abuse the teen spat out at being treated in such a manner.

-x

And with that sudden decision on Doflamingo's part, against his will, Law's odd induction into the Donquixote brothers life began. If the teen had stopped to really think about it, he would have realized that he had been given an opportunity to do what he had wanted to do for the first time in quite awhile. Unfortunately, the idea of being kidnapped and taken somewhere and then being pushed into studies was something Law did not take to.

Nor did he appreciate Corazon being somewhere in the vicinity to keep an eye on him, as Doflamingo had asked.

And despite the opportunity, Law did everything in his power to try and escape the mansion, and the Donquixote brothers.

-x

For the first half of the year, Law tried every possible way he could think of to escape, but each time he was foiled.

The first attempt had been stupid, and Law didn't even know why he had bothered to try to go straight out the front door He's been caught before he could take a step outside the doors.

The second attempt was no better. In hindsight, trying to go out the window had been a very foolish. He's been very lucky that one of the people living in the mansion, Diamante, had caught him before he'd had the chance to fall from far higher up than Law had thought it had been. Being brought to Corazon that time had been rather embarrassing, because Diamante hadn't bothered to right Law, but instead carried him upside down and dropped him on Corazon's bed. The only silver lining of that was Corazon had gotten angry at the other man and the resulting shouting match had allowed Law to try for an escape attempt number three, only to be snagged by Doflamingo, who was grinning in amusement.

Doflamingo had all but chucked Law at Corazon, who immediately abandoned his argument with Diamante in favor of catching Law. "Keep better track of him." Was all Doflamingo had said before having Diamante come with him to discuss a case he'd just received.

Law hadn't been able to look Corazon in the eyes after that, because he felt slightly guilty for some reason. What he hadn't noticed was Corazon giving him a thoughtful look.

The next day, however, the guilt vanished, when Doflamingo, still wearing a grin, waved a paper in front of him. "Corazon asked me to get this done. I don't know why he's taken a shine to you, but..." Law had snatched the paper irritably, looked it over, before he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Doflamingo. "What is it?"

Doflamingo's grin stretched, "A request to become your guardian."

Law made an incensed sound.

Doflamingo, his grin so wide that it looked like it might have hurt, turned away with a mischievous laugh, "No, you're right. That's be silly." Doflamingo made an undignified run across the room to the window and perched on the sill, laughing, "They're adoption papers."

Law rushed over to the window, but Doflamingo was already gone, laughing like a maniac as he landed on the ground and headed down the sidewalk. "What the hell! No he isn't going to adopt me! What the hell? Come back here!" The yelling did no good, as Doflamingo was long gone from his sight.

By the next morning, Law had been 'officially' adopted by Corazon, and the only one who seemed to be happy about it was Corazon himself, though Doflamingo was begrudgingly amused when Law fought with Corazon over the adoption.

"I am not calling you dad. Ever! I barely even know you!" Law didn't seem to notice that Corazon seemed to deflate at that, but nonetheless the younger Donquixote brother seemed to be more determined than ever to make sure that Law would focus in his studies instead of trying to run away to a life back on the street.

The last escape attempt, several months later, was prevented due to Law's own body, because he come down with a nasty virus that had been striking teens and young adults around the city, and could at times become fatal.

Law barely remember the time he was sick, as he had more or less drifted in and out of a fevered haze, and in and out of consciousness when the medicine he was being given would do no good. He felt miserable all the time, and no one in the mansion wanted to be around him, out of fear of catching the virus as well.

Except for Corazon.

All the dark haired teen knew was that it was Corazon that had been by his side for nearly the entire time that he was sick. On occasion Law could have sworn that he had heard Doflamingo in the vicinity, but his mind was so scrambled because of the fever that he couldn't be sure. All he was sure of was that it had to be Corazon that was taking care of him, and making sure that he took the medicine, and to make him eat and drink a little, even if Law had wanted nothing more than to just sleep. Whether it was because Doflamingo had told Corazon it was his responsibility to look after him, or because Corazon was actually concerned, Law didn't care. He was oddly touched because he was sure most people wouldn't have cared if some street urchin had bit the dust. Though Corazon adopting him seemed like less of a joke on Doflamingo's part now, and more genuine in Corazon's case, though Law was still uncertain about how he felt about the whole idea.

When Law was well again, and the virus had left him, the blue haired teen had thrown himself into his studies with more passion than before. Though it was mainly because it would prevent Corazon from fussing over him, which Law, while appreciating the concern, was not used to it. There were only so many times that he could wake up in the middle of the night and be confronted by Corazon looming over him with a worried look. Like he was concerned that Law would catch another virus or something. Law had locked the doors once he'd harped at Corazon about feeling perfectly fine, but the blond haired man would have none of it, and had accidentally crashed through the window to Law's room one night when he'd heard a sneeze. That had resulted in stitches, and Corazon being bitched at by Law about being an idiot.

At the very least, Corazon had seemed convinced by then that Law was perfectly healthy again.

The desire to run was no longer there, as the prospect of becoming a lawyer finally sunk in. If he stayed with the Donquixote brothers, Law knew that he would be able to accomplish that.

-x

The days passed, and Law, even though he had been adverse to Corazon's presence at first, found himself growing more relaxed in the younger Donquixote brother's presence. It helped a lot that the older man's clumsiness made him less threatening, though Law was horrified that he eventually found it amusing, as well as endearing.

Unless Doflamingo happened to be in the same room. He seemed to take offense to Corazon's dorkiness around the teenager, though he did nothing but clean up the aftermath should Corazon end up hurting himself. That trip down the stairs with an armful of books had forced Doflamingo to move the room Law studied in to the same floor of the house that the library was on, so it wouldn't happen again.

When Law turned fifteen, the protectiveness Corazon had around him had lessened for the moment, as Corazon had come down with a slight cold. Law felt bad about it, but he was also excited at the prospect of running an errand without Corazon coming along with him, shadowing him every step of the way. The only other time that had happened was when Corazon had somehow managed to set half the kitchen on fire and was subsequently chewed out by the chef and Doflamingo.

Law knew that he was perfectly capable of getting groceries on his own. People wouldn't even recognize him as the kid who had used to steal food.

But going out alone that day had turned out to be the worst idea Law could have had. As soon as he had gone out of the house and was on his way to the store in the early morning...

That was when everything went wrong.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Since I'm ahead of my word count for nanowrimo, here's another chapter. It got longer, so I split it into two chapters, so the second half of the next chapter will be back to the present timeline of the fanfic (I was having too much fun doing Law/Cora fluff in this chapter).


	12. Chapter 12

Law had been kidnapped on his way to the grocery store, and the fifteen year old hadn't expected anything of the sort to ever happen to him. So Law hadn't seen it coming, and he had let his guard down so much that someone had managed to sneak up on him. Law had only been aware of someone coming up from behind him at the last moment, before there was a sharp strike to his head that had taken him down.

He'd been taken somewhere while he had been unconscious, and really, Law had no idea why someone would even bother with him. It wasn't like he had a sign over his head that announced to the world that he lived with Doflamingo and Corazon. Though the dark haired teen supposed that someone could have seen him leave the mansion that was the two brothers' home, but Law had never seen anything suspicious like that. But apparently, there was some reason that he had been abducted, and quite honestly, Law could not remember if there had even been a reason stated to him when he finally came to.

The people that had been with him weren't very good hosts, as they had wasted no time in being violent o the dark haired teen when he had barely even woken up after being struck over the head to be dragged off who the hell knew where. Law felt as if he had blocked the majority of it from his mind, but he had remembered being beaten up to the point that he had trouble moving. Though that could have been a result from giving his captors some sass and how that likely would not have been well received by those there. It probably hadn't been the best idea to cheek them either, but Law didn't like that he had been kidnapped and couldn't really think of anything else to do, ther than not to take things lying down.

That was where he'd remembered the laughs and the jeers. It normally happened after he had said something offensive and had been beaten in return for the statement. Law vaguely remembered that he had been left alone for long stretches of time in that dark, cold place, and sometimes without anything to eat. He definitely remembered not getting enough food, because he would get sick sometimes when someone decided to use him as a beating bag.

What bothered the fifteen year old the most about the whole thing was that no one said a word, or if they did, it was curt and rude, and there was no reason given for why he was being treated in such a manner.

Law couldn't remember how long he had been in that dark place, because the time seemed to stretch on forever before his tormentors would come back and beat him around some more. Sometimes Law had been able to block out some of the visits, when it became to much to handle...

-x

Something...something had happened. Law was sure of it, but he couldn't remember it. It was something that he should have been able to remember, but the dark haired teen had shut his mind down against whatever had happened to him in that place where he was being held against his will.

The memory….it just wasn't there. Law thought it should have bothered him more than it did.

-x

All Law _could_ remember clearly when he had been gone for who knew how long, was coming out of that odd haze that his mind had grown accustomed to. It was because something or someone had caused him to become aware again. Law recalled the sensation of being held by someone, and a voice that talked to him with increasing volume. Law really came to then, and tilted his head up to look at the person who was holding him, though the frantic voice had already given him a good idea of who it was.

Corazon.

It didn't seem right to Law that Corazon would be so worried, nor should he have looked like he had lost some weight. It wasn't like Law had been gone for that long. Or had he? Being in that dark place without any sunlight had certainly thrown off the time of day.

Law looked at Corazon's face closely, and realized that there was an almost haunted look in the blond haired man's eyes. It was as if he had seen something terrible. The dark haired teen didn't like the expression, so he'd lifted his hand up shakily to pat Corazon's chin. It had caused the blond to stiffen, before one large hand that wasn't cradling Law engulfed his hand with his much bigger one.

"Law?"

Law blinked up at Corazon. Why did he sound so distraught? Had something happened to him? Law was tired and sore from being beaten around by the idiots that had kidnapped him, but he was otherwise fine, so why?

Why did Corazon sound like that?

"Law?"

Law noticed the worried tone grow in its intensity, so the teen tilted his head up again at Corazon. After a moment of deliberation, Law spoke, even if his voice felt rough from not having enough water, "Cora-san? Are you all right?"

Maybe it was relief. Maybe it was something else, but Corazon had begun to cry at Law's words. Or perhaps because he had spoken. That made Law stare, confused by the other's actions. Really, he was fine. He was just bruised up from his captors using him as a punching bag. The dark haired teen was even more confused at Corazon's response when he finally spoke.

"…I'm fine, Law. You will be too."

Law rested heavily against Corazon as the other man stood up. The blue haired teen felt tired all of a sudden, as if being found by someone that he knew had allowed all the tension to leave him that he didn't known that he had had. "I'm tired, Cora-san."

There was a waver in Corazon's response, "I know. But you will get better." The blond haired man choked back tears as he added quietly. "I promise. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

Law didn't remember being hurt too badly, but the beatings he'd been given could have been worse than he initially thought. He might even have a few cracked ribs, but he figured it was useless to say aloud, because he knew the younger Donquixote brother was likely to take him to a hospital anyway. Law rested his head against Corazon's shoulder and let out a sigh, "I'm sleepy."

"…Just rest…Law. I'll get you home." There was a pause. "After the hospital."

Law remembered being content by that response, but before he drifted off, he noticed two things.

The first was that there was something going on behind them, from where Corazon had found him, like there was some kind of a fight going on. The second was that his hands had some blood on them, and Law hadn't any notion why that was, as he didn't remember bleeding, or being anyone near someone that was bleeding. Law felt Corazon pat his head gently, and take a moment to ruffle his hair reassuringly.

"Rest, Law."

Law shook the troubling thoughts from his mind and did as he was told.

He fell asleep.

Later, Law would wonder why, as he drifted off, that Corazon held him closer and continued to silently cry, as if something were wrong. Had it been because he had blood on his hands that he didn't know where it had come from? It wasn't like he had killed anyone. There wouldn't have been any weapons around. But nothing else really made sense, though it wasn't like Law thought about it to much.

Most frustratingly, neither Corazon, or Doflamingo, would say anything on the subject when Law brought it up when around either of them.

Not even years later.

-x

When they had gotten back home after a trip to the hospital and an overnight stay there, Corazon had sent people running to get some food prepared, and went to the teen's room himself to look for where Law's warmer clothes were to be found. It was winter, after all. Law wanted to not wear the hospital clothes he'd been lent any more. They were too thin a fabric, and he had shivered the entire way home. The place he had been in was freezing, and the prospect of wearing warm clothes was a very welcome thought. Law had been left to his own devices in the bathroom to get ready for bed, though he could hear Corazon outside in the room rummaging around through doors for clothing. The dark haired teen would leave Corazon to his own devices.

If Law had been disappointed that he didn't get to eat a lot of food, he didn't let it show. He wouldn't have been able to eat much, anyway, as even a little food made him full. It again made Law wonder how long he had been away, though it being winter was a fairly good indication on its own. Law almost smiled at the sight of Doflamingo all but trying to shove food Corazon's way, obviously upset about something, and appeared greatly aggravated when his brother quietly ate without protest. It made Law wonder if Corazon looked as if he had not been eating well while he had been missing.

Again Law was left to wonder how the hell long he had been gone. But no one would tell him.

Not even Corazon.

The newspaper the next day did, and with shaky hands, Law settled the paper down where he had found it, and went straight up to Corazon's room.

Without preamble, Law shoved the door open and stormed in, thinking to scold the blond, when he realized that Doflamingo was in the room as well, and the two brothers looked as if they had been in some kind of argument due to their close proximity and irritated features. At the sight of Law, however, they dropped whatever had been going on between them, though Doflamingo shot Corazon a look before striding past Law and closing the door.

"Law?"

The dark haired teen turned back to Corazon, and frowned at him. "I looked at the newspaper." Law was surprised at the reaction. Corazon blanched, before he was suddenly there and kneeling in front of Law, hands on his shoulders.

"Did you read the article?"

It was an odd question, and the way the blond had said t so seriously gave him pause, before Law shook his head. "I only looked at the date."

Corazon seemed relieved by this, and he let go of Law's shoulders as he sat down on the ground before the teen.

Law was still rather unnerved that Corazon was still taller than him, though only just, while seated.

"Is that why you came here?"

Law frowned at the blond, "I just wanted to know….why no one would tell me that I'd been gone for eight months."

Corazon looked reluctant to say anything, but finally he just sighed and shook his head, "I won't give you all the details, but when you went missing…Doflamingo and I weren't exactly content to let the police try to find you. We hope that things will die down but the less you know, the better. I'd rather not have you get into any trouble after everything you went through. That's why Doflamingo and I wouldn't let the police speak to you."

Law tilted his head, still frowning. "Why?"

"Do you remember anything? About the people that kidnapped you?"

Law shook his head. He really didn't, and just the thought of trying to remember made him sick to his stomach for some reason.

Corazon apparently noticed because he leaned over and tugged Law gently into a hug, though one that would allow the teen to shake himself free from at any time. "Don't force yourself to try and remember. If you can't…it's probably for the best."

"I guess." Law said, thinking with a jolt that eight months meant he was almost sixteen. Law's thoughts were broken from darker things as Corazon drew back from the hug and smiled at him.

"Don't think so hard about it. Everything will be fine. Just focus on getting better. Doffy and I will make sure the cops don't harass you for details. Especially ones that you can't remember." Corazon rested his hands on Law's shoulders again and looked him over, his smile still in place. "Hm. Still short. I'd have thought you'd hit your growth spurt by now." Corazon said after a moment.

Law cracked a small smile at that, and shooed Corazon's hands away from him. "You're such an idiot. I'm not short. You're just too tall. Normal people aren't so big." Law let out a gasp as Corazon reached out a hand to ruffle his hair in retaliation. "Dammit Cora-san! Don't!" But Law couldn't help but let out a laugh when Corazon overbalanced and fell over, and the two of them cracked up at the absurdity of it all.

"What did you even fall over?" Law asked, as he skittered out of Corazon's grasp.

"There was a whoopie cushion. Who left that here?" Corazon's tone left little room to argue.

Law's face was perfect innocence. "I don't know where it came from. You sure Doflamingo didn't leave it in here for you to accuse me of leaving it lying around?" The teen couldn't believe Corazon hadn't seen him inconspicuously toss it beneath him. Law made for the door at Corazon's expression, though he knew that the other man was more amused than angry.

Doflamingo, still waiting in the hall, had to step backward to avoid the door being slammed in his face as Law raced out with a smile plastered on his face, followed by Corazon who was trying and failing to not laugh at the thought of Law sneakily slipping the whoopie cushion beneath him in the split second it took for him to start to stand.

Doflamingo watched the two go around the corner, before there was a loud crash. Law lett out a laugh, and someone cursed at Corazon for breaking something.

Again.

The older Donquixote brother shook his head, but went in the direction of the voices anyway. At the very least, the depression Law had been in didn't appear to be permanent. Doflamingo stopped short at the scene that greeted him as he went around the corner of the hall, before he crossed his arms and tried to look as serious as he could.

Corazon was tangled up in some cords and was flat on his back, and Law was nearby and leaning against the wall, still smiling at the sight but doing absolutely nothing about it. The only people not amused were Dillinger and Baby 5, who had been carrying the cords to one of the family rooms, presumably to hook up some electronics.

Doflamingo's shoulders shook, and he couldn't help but start to laugh, loud and long, as Law commented with barely contained glee.

"Looks like you're tied up, Cora-san."

-x

As the days turned into weeks, Law had all but put behind his kidnapping, as it was hard to dwell on and did nothing but shut him down whenever his thoughts strayed in that direction. What Law was still curious about, however, was the whispers around the mansion that Doflamingo had gone on a rampage where the police were in involved, around the same time that Corazon had come and saved him.

Though Law focused on his studies, and the memories of what had happened grew distant as the teen put it from his mind, Law knew, as the years passed, that what had happened had not faded at all from the Donquixote brothers' minds.

Corazon, if possible, grew more protective of Law, and nearly refused to let Law go anywhere on his own, for fear that something might happen to him again.

Doflamingo had grown more hostile toward anyone who happened to come anywhere near Law, and as a result, it made it very hard for Law to connect with anyone when there was a very tall, intimidating blond wearing shaded glasses and all but radiating hostility if they so much as looked at Law wrong.

Law knew that he couldn't let the past hold him back, so he did his best to put it behind him. But the blue haired man had had no idea that he would be kidnapped again in the future.

If he had thought it possible, Law never would have agreed, or insisted, on staying in that run down apartment all on his own.

-x-

Present time...

Midnight, at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirt of the city...

-x

There were a few people gathered in a dark room, and all of them had fallen silent after watching the news report about Law and his abduction.

At length, one of them spoke. "What shall we do about Kid?"

"He did not kill Trafalgar Law as directed." Another added.

"The police are involved now, and it seems as if Doflamingo and his firm will be involved as well. This is turning into quite a mess." The first added.

Another flipped a blade up and down. "We will wait for now. Eustass wanted more time. We will see what he has to say at the end of the extra week we gave him to take care of things."

The second figure laughed. "I wonder if he already killed him then."

The first spoke. "We will know this weekend. We should be ready for either failure or success."

-x

Corazon woke up late in the morning, according to the dastardly sunbeam that had dared to come through the curtain to glare directly on his face, and subsequently his eyes, when he opened them. The blond haired man turned his head away from the window and let out a slow sigh. Corazon remembered his conversation with his brother the night before, and inwardly wondered just how much trouble it would be to leave the hospital early, against the doctor's orders. Corazon let out a yawn as he propped himself up slightly. He immediately noticed that the IVs that had been in his arm the previous night were gone. In fact, the other tubes and medical equipment all were, leaving him on the bed dressed in hospital pants and nothing else but the bandages wrapped around his upper torso. Corazon carefully sat up the rest of the way, and looked around the immediate area. His eyes fell on the table beside the bed, and saw a small paper bag on the table, along with a pile of clothes and a note that sat perched on top of the clothes.

Corazon reached out with a hand and picked the note up, reading over it silently. Snorting at what was written, Corazon lifted the bag and heard rattling. Medication, no doubt. Corazon left the bag where it was, dropped the note onto the bed, and started the painfully slow process of changing into the clothes that Doflamingo had left for him. After a moments consideration, Corazon merely draped the shirt over his shoulders. He didn't want it brushing the front of his chest. Even with the pain pill he was still on, he could feel the uncomfortable ache in his chest.

Corazon gave a light shake of his head as he carefully stood and toed on his shoes. He was surprised that Doflamingo could get the hospital to do his bidding and let his younger brother leave. The younger blond wondered what that said about him if he was just going along with Doflamingo's bidding of going to speak to Ace. Corazon pocketed the note from Doflamingo, as well as the note that was by the paper bag for dosages of the medication to take. Keeping a hold of the paper bag, Corazon stooped in front of a mirror on his way out of the room to touch up his makeup. It amused the younger Donquixote brother greatly that Doflamingo had remembered to bring it along. Corazon had grown to enjoy the reactions it brought, for some reason. There was going to be a time that he didn't wear it, however, just to spite Doflamingo.

Preferably soon because of what Doflamingo was making him do now.

Corazon exited the hospital room and made his way to the entrance of the hospital, but he could tell, from the looks that he received on the way, that he shouldn't be out of bed in his condition. But he knew that none of them were about to argue with Doflamingo, and neither was Corazon about to, for that matter. Not if he wanted to stay on his brother's good side.

Outside of the hospital, the tall blond leaned against the nearest wall to catch his breath. The other reason he had not to argue with his brother was that he wanted Law to remain safe, and a major part of that was keeping Doflamingo's attention off of him, and on Corazon instead. Corazon was quite appalled that Doflamingo had more or less dismissed what had happened to Law in the past, and it made Corazon more determined to keep Doflamingo at a distance from the dark haired lawyer. Corazon set that unpleasant thought aside, as he did not want to think about the past. Instead, Corazon took out the note that Doflamingo had left, and glanced at the back of it to find an address.

At the very least, it didn't take Corazon long to reach the address provided, but when Corazon finally reached it, he just stared. Standing just outside the building, the younger Donquixote brother decided that Doflamingo was still an asshole, because the building he was in front of was the smaller jail in the city that held those awaiting upcoming trials. Which meant that some cops might be around, and that would lead to some awkward questions.

Like why Corazon happened to be out of the hospital in less than half a day after being shot.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: And I'm sort of back, now that nanowrimo is almost done with. There is likely to be a longer delay between updates though, because yet again, I can't stand to stare at my computer screen for too long. So I am trying to avoid using the computer when I can. And this chapter seemed kind of disjointed, but as it is a memory, I figured that could work out, for now, unless I decide to go back and change it if it is too vague (it makes sense in my mind, but that could be because I know what will happen later on in the fanfic that links up with the past).

I expect, though, to be able to get at least one or two more chapters up before the end of the year, and hopefully update the other two fanfics I have ongoing as well.


	13. Chapter 13

Kid was at a loss for what to do right now, other than wait for Law to wake up. Though the dark haired lawyer was likely to be even angrier at him for attacking him as he had before. No one in their right mind would want to talk or listen to someone after that. Not that Kid had any good excuse for what he had done. Kid knew that rising to the bait was what Law had wanted him to do. And Kid had let his temper get the best of him.

Again.

Kid let out a scoff as he lounged on the chair in the small studio apartment. Not many people dared to rile him up in that manner, and the fact that Law had done so without a care in the world really pissed him off. The red head figured that Law probably hadn't thought he would actually do any harm to him, since other than the sex, Kid had done nothing to actually hurt Law. Or leave him injured enough to kill him, like Kid was supposed to have done when he first came across Law. The death was supposed to have been made to look like an accident.

The red head was bored. Though not so bored that Kid felt the need to leave the apartment. Or go rough someone up. Kid had all the entertainment he needed right in this small room. Well, when Law was awake, not asleep. With the media knowing about him, Kid knew that it was only a matter of time before the police found him and Law.

Kid glanced over at Law again. He was surprised that Law had gone and fainted after thrashing about like a man possessed in his sleep. The dark haired man was still twitching occasionally and mumbling things.

Perhaps he was having a nightmare. Law certainly had enough happen to him since he'd been kidnapped.

_Maybe it's about me_. Kid thought glumly, as he watched Law's brow cease in something like worry. The red head almost felt guilty about the fact that he found Law extremely attractive when he was unconscious. Though not enough to stop himself from staring. Kid shifted uncomfortably. Hell, he was not going to allow himself to become aroused just from watching someone sleep. It was rather embarrassing, as well as frustrating, but it made Kid wonder just why it was only Law that seemed to affect him like this. Maybe it was just because Kid hadn't been on a date for a long while, or slept with anyone, for that matter. Kid scowled. Damn, was he just desperate for a good fuck or something? How pathetic was that?

Kid dismissed the thought immediately as his eyes passed over the TV briefly and settled on another thought. Law's reaction to the media.

The dark humor the blue haired lawyer had been in when he had let the red head know he was screwed. As soon as Kid was found by either by the police or one of the Donquixote brothers. Since Law seemed to like the latter idea, Kid wondered if perhaps he should be concerned. The redhead had heard whispers that the tall blonds didn't always play by the rules, and do things legally. Though there had been no proof to show for anything illegal. But that was again another thought left for another time. It was the reaction from Law that had given Kidd a moment of clarity. An epiphany, if you will, in regards to the dark haired man's actions toward him. First in the car when Corazon had been shot, and the second right before Kid had made the stupid decision to start to choke the life out of Law. Kid felt like a fool, now that he could think things through more clearly. Especially at the actions he had taken since he'd first come across Law. Had first seen the blue haired lawyer, and had gone from killing mode to sex mode in an instant, just from the mere sight of the other man. Kid came to an unfortunate conclusion as he sat there on a chair and watched Law sleep fitfully.

The conclusion that Law had every right to hate his guts for what he'd done to him.

Kid couldn't believe he had been so stupid. What the hell had he been thinking? What else was Law supposed to think of him? Especially when Kid had essentially skipped any formalities, and took what he wanted. Kid normally didn't care about that, because he felt he should take whatever he wanted, whenever he needed. No matter what is was that he happened to want.

The redhead glanced back at the bed where Law was sleeping.

It seemed like this time around, Kid had well and truly fucked this up. Of course, the red head didn't think that he'd find interest in Law at first besides a few good fucks in bed. But now, he wasn't sure what to think anymore. Kid looked away. Damn, he really was an idiot, just like Law had called several times before. The blue haired man's actions made perfect sense. Who the hell in their right mind would just lie back and have sex with someone? Someone they had no idea of who they were. Or if they were even attracted to them in the first place. Not to mention being forced on without a moment's thought, despite vehement protests against it.

Kid let out a frustrated sigh and moodily shoved stray hair out of his face, before he side glanced at the slumbering Law again.

There was likely no way to salvage anything with Law at this point. Though Kid wasn't sure what exactly he really wanted from the other man. Not yet. He needed to think it over some more. But one thing was sure. The dark haired lawyer already seemed quite sure of himself that he was nothing more than to lock Kid away, given the opportunity.

Or let that Corazon person gut Kid for him. Which was not appealing to him at all. The red head liked his guts where they were, so finding a way to avoid the Donquixote brothers was something he should give thought to.

Kid let his hair fall straight back over his eyes.

Fuck it.

He was fucking tired. Kid wasn't going to be able to keep his eyes open any way for much longer. He needed to get some rest as well. He was sure Law was going to be bitchy when he woke up, and Kid needed to be able to counter the other man's potentially sarcastic comments.

Kid crossed the short distance between chair and bed, and settled on the mattress next to Law, careful to not jostle the slumbering lawyer too much. He was still mumbling, and appeared to still be in some kind of distress from whatever dream it was that he was having. Kid snuggled up against Law's side, and, after brief moment's hesitation, looped one arm over Law's waist. Kid was too fucking tired for all this reflection shift about what he'd done to Law. Maybe some rest would help things become clear to him.

As Kid drifted off, he didn't realize that the tension had left Law's body, and his breathing had evened out. It was as if the red head's presence had somehow changed the dream that Law was having from nightmare to something not as stressful.

-x

Law remembered something.

He remembered Corazon comforting him after he'd been rescued from his mysterious kidnappers. It was something that the warmth he was feeling right now as the dark haired man began to wake up. Was someone in the room with him? Was it Kid? It probably was, but after the nightmare inducing memories of an unpleasant past, it didn't seem to matter as much. It was that warmth from that person, Kid, whoever, that made Law remember his adoptive father's actions a few nights after he'd returned home from his eight month ordeal of being kidnapped.

The new memory chased away the lingering pain of the past, and the blank spots in Law's memory.

For the time being.

-x-

_Law was still awake, as he had trouble falling asleep after all that he had been through for nearly a year. The mere idea that someone would take him away again from his home made it impossible to drift off. The blue haired teen huddled beneath his blankets at the sound of the door opening. And flinched at someone touching his shoulder soon after._

_"Law?"_

_Corazon..._

_"Are you all right? Can't sleep?" _

_Law let out a long sigh and after he took a look at Corazon's concerned expression. Law shook his head. But he couldn't voice why. He stilled as the bed shifted before arms wrapped around his back and held him snugly._

_"You need to get some rest, Law." Corazon's hand reached up to ruffle the dark haired teen's hair lightly. "I'll stay here with you. It'll be all right. I won't let anyone take you away."_

_Law relaxed slightly, though he still remained tense. But he snuggled closer to Corazon's chest after a few minutes had gone by, and closed his eyes. He knew that the blond meant what he said but Law was still uneasy. At the very least, if something happened, Corazon would be with him. But Law hoped that nothing bad would happen._

_"Good night, Law."_

_Law mumbled something but found himself too drowsy to voice it very loud. __"Thank you...Cora-san." He still couldn't quite call Corazon anything other than that. Certainly not father, or dad, even though the tall blond had adopted him._

_Corazon seemed to understand Law, even though he hadn't been able to make out the teen's words. "You're safe here, Law." Corazon felt the way Law gripped his sweater tightly, and hoped that Law would be all right. _

_-x_

_Law had been able to fall asleep that night thanks to Corazon's presence, and the next morning, Law became even more of his old self before the kidnapping had happened, when he realized that Corazon was being the clingy overprotective father._

_Again._

_Corazon wouldn't let go of him._

_The teen had become annoyed and started to shove at the still slumbering blond. "Cora-san, you're crushing me!" Really, was Corazon trying to comfort him or make him angry at him? The overprotective streak was still going strong five days after he'd come home._

_Corazon opened one eye and offered a mischievous smile. "What was that?"_

_Law smacked Corazon's chest, irritated. "You were only pretending to be asleep?"_

_"Yes." Corazon caught Law's hand and gave him a slight grin. "Were you able to sleep last night?"_

_Law blinked at Corazon, before he looked away and nodded. He didn't know why that made Corazon make the start to gush over him, and soon found himself wrapped in another hug. _

_"You're pouting! Thant's so cute!" Corazon obviously couldn't help himself as he hoisted Law out of bed and carried him out of the room. "I bet you're hungry, aren't you? You didn't eat much of your dinner."_

_Law struggled in the tall blond's grasp, though he was already more or used to the blond's spontaneous actions. But that didn't mean he appreciated Corazon carting him around, sometimes to make a point in their difference in height. "Let go, Cora-san!" _

_The dark haired teen wasn't sure why or how it had happened, but he found himself in the dining hall with Corazon and had helplessly joined in on laughing with Baby 5 when Corazon not only managed to set himself on fire with a box of matches, but burnt Doflamingo's expensive suit as well._

_During the chaos that ensued, a snickering Corazon had fled the area with a smiling Law, and the two hid in Law's room as Doflamingo prowled around trying to locate them._

_Corazon poked Law on the forehead lightly, wearing a smile. "Feeling better?"_

_Law smiled faintly as he allowed Corazon to ruffle his hair fondly. "Yes." And he did feel better, even if he felt slightly bad when Doflamingo found them and chewed Corazon out for destroying things with accidental fires again._

_But that was the last time Law had trouble falling asleep, because his adoptive father would occasionally stay in the room with him until he feel asleep, sitting on the chair that Law had dragged in for him. _

_It was comforting, to know that someone was looking out for him._

-x-

The fond memory of Corazon quickly fled Law's mind as soon as the dark haired lawyer woke up fully, for two reasons.

One was because he was obviously not at home.

Two was because it was Kid, and not Corazon, who was hugging him to their chest. Law seethed in Kid's general direction, but his body was still far too worn out to do much but allow Kid to continue to hug him.

Kid seemed to have realized that Law was awake, because he leaned back to look at the lawyer. "Morning."

Law felt Kid reach up to tousle his hair, and it was done as if it was almost an unconscious gesture. The dark haired man stared, before he shook Kid's hand free of his waist. And swatted Kid's hand away from his hair. Law only allowed Corazon to do that, and even then he didn't always appreciate having his hair messed up.

Kid allowed Law to move away from him, though there was some irritation in the red head's voice as he asked. "Not a morning person?" Well, it late morning, anyway.

Law didn't know what Kid was up to, but it was surely some kind of a trick. The blue haired lawyer moved backward in bed as Kid leaned forward and dared to give him a quick peck of the cheek. Law scooted back as he avoided eye contact. "Eustass-ya?"

"Hm?"

Law hated the look of confusion that crossed Kid's face. Seriously, he couldn't be that dense, could he? Law searched Kid's face for a moment, before he acted. Quick as a flash, Law's hands shot up and slapped Kid hard across the face.

Kid toppled backward from the strike more out of surprise than anything else, hand to his cheek. "What the fuck?"

Law didn't have anything to say. He just glared. Law's actions caught up to him, and the dark haired man realized that he passed out before because Kid had attacked him. From an insult. What would he do now that Law had struck him? Law braced himself for some attack, but when it didn't come, he chanced a glance at the redhead.

Kid saw the look, and still gingerly touching his stinging face, he spoke ruefully. "Damn, you slap hard." The red head offered a small smile. "I guess I deserved it… maybe…"

Law expression became haughty. "Of course you deserved it. You attacked me, after you raped me. Again." Law was taken aback when Kid eyed avoided eye contact. "Finally figure out that it was wrong?" Law highly doubted it, but from the way Kidd was acting, maybe the idiot was actually using his brain, and not his dick.

Kid ran a hand through his hair absently. "…Maybe." The red head quickly leaned back out of range of Law's hand. "Missed." Kid said with a teasing grin.

Law surged up, heedless of the fact that he was naked, as the towel from before was gone. But Law was bound and determined to let Kid know that he didn't appreciate the monosyllabic answer.

-x

Kid caught Law's hand, and despite knowing that it would only piss the other man off, he kissed the back of his hand. "You're kinda cute when you're angry." Which disturbed Kid, for some reason, but he let the thought go.

For now.

Law's other hand shot out and gripped Kid's hand, and twisted it painfully to one side.

"Fuck! What the fuck, man? I need that hand!" Kid griped, trying to free himself. Damn, Law was being a real handful right now. Not that Kid was surprised.

"To kill people? To do something else to them? You can use your other hand, can't you?" Law countered.

"That's the hand that I used to jack off. The other end just isn't the same, you know." Kid couldn't help it. He had to say it. He just loved to rile up for some reason. Law's reactions were great to get out of him.

Law twisted the hand harder at Kid's words.

"Shit!" Despite this pain, Kid ended up laughing at the disgruntled look on Law's face. Kid laughed even more when Law seemed to realize this little exchange had turned the redhead on. At least Law wouldn't have to worry about Kid jumping him right this instant.

"Don't even think about it." Law said, as he let go of Kid's hand and backed across the bed. He'd seen the look in the other's eyes. And he did not want to entertain the notion of sex right now. He truly wasn't in the mood. "Or are you thinking about what you've done?"

Kid grinned at that. "Maybe I'm thinking of what I could do." Kid slid right after the dark haired man, and grabbed Law's nearest arm. Screw waiting for Law to let him near him. Kid wanted to at least touch the son of a bitch, if nothing else. "You always wake up in a bad mood like this?"

"Only around you, it seems." Law said, as he leaned back and away from Kid.

"Or maybe you're just shy." Kid ventured, just for the hell of it to see how the blue haired man would react.

The look on Law's face was wonderful. He looked ready to blow a gasket he looked so furious as he grit out tonelessly, "Let go."

Kid merely smiled in return and decided he just couldn't keep his hands off Law after all. He tugged the dark haired man toward him and rolled them both over onto the bed. The red head hugged Law to his chest and nuzzled his face against the top of the lawyer's head.

Law made an incensed sound and struggled against the vice like grip that Kid held him in. Really, what was it with people and hugging him? Did he look like he wanted to be held? Because Law was fairly sure that he didn't look like that. At all. More like he wanted to punch Kid if he didn't let him go.

Kid grinned to himself as Law struggled in his grasp, obviously displeased. Even if it was too late to do anything about the two of them being anything beyond that of a captor and captive, Kid was still going to have some fun at Law's expense. And it seemed like Law was uncomfortable about being touched by him. Or people in general?

Kid grinned like an idiot. Making the dark haired lawyer squirm from discomfort seemed appropriate for now. Kid just didn't realize it was going to backfire on him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Kid is still a bit of an idiot and can't take a hint.

I wanted this chapter to be semi-fluffy with Kid and Law...sort of, maybe (and fluffy bit with adoptive dad Corazon trying to comfort Law). There are hints of DoflaCora in the next chapter, FYI, but not too much. Cause you know, Corazon is supposed to get into that jail to talk to Ace and Doflamingo is a delaying bastard.


	14. Chapter 14

Corazon knew that there was no use delaying things now that he was already there in front of the jail. Nor was there any use in worrying about how he was supposed to answer questions about why he was up and about. Corazon would deal with those questions when they came. If they came. And in any case, the sooner he spoke to Ace, the sooner the younger Donquixote brother would be able to get off his feet and allow himself some rest.

Corazon briefly entertained the thought of just going home then and there to demand that Doflamingo question Ace himself, so that the younger blond could get some rest sooner and allow the time for his wounds to heal. But that was highly unlikely to occur, even if his older brother happened to be at home. If Corazon gave Doflamingo any attitude, he knew that he would regret it eventually. Doflamingo would not harm him, but he certainly had other ways of letting him know that he didn't appreciate insubordination.

Corazon let out a sigh. There was no use doing anything of the sort while wounded anyway. Besides, Law was more important…

The tall blond blinked. Why was he thinking about Law? It wasn't Law he was going to see, it was Ace. So then why…? Corazon swerved away from the door and down an alley a short ways away. He needed a smoke. As Corazon lit a cigarette and took a dreg, his thoughts began to wander. He was lying to himself if he pretended not to know why he was thinking about Law. Of course it was natural to worry about his adoptive son. Especially when he was missing, and taken by some delinquent who had no business being around Law at all. And said delinquent thug that had friends that had no qualms about shooting someone.

Corazon grit his teeth and passed his free hand absently over his chest. He knew he shouldn't be smoking like this, what with his wound and the meds he was on. But he couldn't help it. He needed to calm down and think things through rationally before going into the jail. He couldn't be worrying about Law when he would be trying to get information from a defendant whose words needed to be heard without distraction. Corazon finished the cigarette, feeling marginally calmer than before, and dropped the cigarette to stomp it out. He had to stop delaying things now.

The younger Donquixote brother took a step forward, intent on going to find Ace, when someone came up from behind him. Corazon had no time to react, as he still felt like shit, and wasn't exactly about to put up much of a fight that would only wear him out and potentially harm himself further. Corazon winced as he was pressed none too gently against the wall of the alley, his back digging painfully against the uneven bricks that made up the wall. Corazon braced himself for an attack, and inwardly wondered if Doflamingo would laugh at him if he came across him in an alley from being mugged or worse.

Corazon blinked as he realized who it was that stood only a few feet away from him. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Well, think of him, anyway. It was no mere mugger that was after him and had dragged him further into the alley.

It was his brother.

Doflamingo could be a hell of a lot scarier than a devil. And right now, the older Donquixote brother did not seem to be in a good mood at all, from his vicious smile and the sight of the veins that popped across his forehead.

Corazon did not appreciate his brother treating him in such a manner. Corazon just knew that the eerily wide grin was solely due to the look of annoyance that the younger Donquixote brother had on his face. Whether he would get reprimanded about it later remained to be seen.

"Ah, don't be like that, Roci. It hurts me to think that you don't like to see me." Doflamingo said in a croon, his grin still eerie as ever.

And his older brother was still an asshole.

Big surprise.

Corazon really didn't have time for this, but it seemed like he was going to have a little chat with Doflamingo before he was going to be able to go and speak to Ace. The younger blond shouldn't have delayed for so long. Corazon kept his back to the wall, and was sincerely glad that his brother had not decided to keep him pressed up against it. Though Doflamingo had moved in closer than he was comfortable with right now. Corazon asked the only thing that came to mind, to take his mind of the looming presence of the other. "Why are you here?"

Doflamingo gave a heavy sigh, as if Corazon's words had offended him in some way. "Always business with you, little brother." Doflamingo inched closer as he tilted his head, grin still in place. "Can't I be concerned about your well-being? I needed to make sure that you made it here all right. You are prone to accidents due to how clumsy you are."

Corazon subconsciously leaned away from Doflamingo's grinning visage. Seriously, did that man not know how unnerving that was? "A simple call would have sufficed. Or you could have sent someone to check up on me. You didn't have to come yourself." The younger Donquixote brother held perfectly still as Doflamingo closed in and reached out with a hand to trail along his jaw lightly. Corazon squirmed inwardly at the gesture as his mind drifted toward when Doflamingo liked to toy with him like this. He really didn't like that Doflamingo had become so touchy-feely with him in the past decade or so to begin with. It really was uncomfortable for him. Corazon didn't make a move, however, as he had learned that it only encouraged Doflamingo. The younger blond remained still even when a few fingers curled beneath his chin to tilt his head up, so that Corazon was forced to look at Doflamingo as the other man spoke.

"I said that _I_ wanted to see _you_. I couldn't very well tell how you are over the phone. Or from the here say of others." Dofalmingo's smile had slipped slightly as he spoke, only an inch or so from pressing up against Corazon.

Corazon still did not move, though he was only half looking at the shaded glasses that were looming scant inches from him. "And now that you have, you can leave, right?" Corazon carefully reached up and squeezed Doflamingo's hand lightly to stop the light touch, before he shoved the hand away, surprised that Doflamingo allowed him to do so without much resistance. Corazon eyed him warily anyway, as if expecting Doflamingo to finish separating the distance between them. He seemed ever so eager to do after some meetings for work, whether they got to their rooms, or he was impatient and decided the elevator was a prime spot to start some impromptu make out session. Corazon truly didn't understand what was going on in his brother's head, warped as it seemed to be.

The younger Donquixote brother gave his head a light shake and spoke, though he realized he was leaning away from Doflamingo, "I need to go speak with Ace before I am too tired to do so." There was no response, so Corazon slid to the side, away from Doflamingo. But before Corazon could get too far away, a warm body collided with his own from behind. Apparently, Doflamingo wasn't going to let him leave that easily. Corazon stilled as one of Doflamingo's arms wrapped across his waist loosely to bring them closer together. Doflamingo's other hand snuck up across Corazon's chest to lightly trace the bandages that were there, which caused the younger blond haired man to shiver involuntarily.

Doflamingo's breath brushed Corazon's neck as he whispered in his nearest ear. "I know that you are tired. And I only wanted you to speak to Ace today briefly, because I was being bothered by the prosecution yesterday that they wanted to get things moving along." Doflamingo tapped the fingers along Corazon's waist lightly, "They don't care that Law has been abducted."

Corazon tried to ignore Doflalmingo's actions as the other's arm tightened across his waist, and the fingertips that continued to dance across his chest. "Who is the prosecutor?" That was something Corazon hadn't had the chance to look up yet, and the question allowed him to distract himself from what his brother was doing.

Doflamingo rested his head on Corazon's shoulder and nuzzled his way along the side of his brother's neck as his tongue darted out as he laid a few light kisses along the way. "Does it matter?"

Corazon closed his eyes and gripped the hand that had started to tease his chest. "Yes, it does matter." Corazon was trying very hard to ignore the fact that the other blond haired man appeared to be in the mood. He certainly wasn't dong _that_ in an alley, and certainly not while he was injured.

"Hm." Doflamingo freed his hand from his brother's grasp, and that arm looped around Corazon's waist as well. Doflamingo smiled lightly as he nipped the side of his brother's neck, and received a jump in return. "Something the matter?"

Corazon was too worn out to play this game, so he reached up and gripped his brother's head lightly with his hands, and it forced Doflamingo to continue to rest his chin on his shoulder from that angle. "No, and who is the prosecutor?" The younger blond tried to ignore the slight throb that came from his bandaged chest wound.

Doflamingo laughed softly as he answered. "Fufufufu. I heard that it was some hot-shot lawyer from another firm that just transferred to this city. Caven…something or another. I heard a press conference and someone yelled 'cabbage' at him, and the man went into an angry frenzy. It seems that he caused quite a few people to swoon in the process." Doflamingo drew away after he reached up and gently pried Corazon's hands out of the grip they'd had on his hair. Doflamingo forcefully turned Corazon around, and resettled his arms over the other's shoulders. Doflamingo grinned as he caught sight of Corazon's expression. "You're scowling."

"Because I have heard of whom you were talking about. I do not think that Cavendish cares whether someone is guilty or not, so long as his popularity as a prosecutor spreads around." Corazon told Doflamingo darkly, as he lightly trod on his brother's nearest foot to let him know that dropping a hand to his backside was not okay.

"Do you want to know who the judge will be?" Doflamingo asked with a grin as he moved his hand up so that it was his whole arm going around Corazon's lower back.

"There was already a decision made for where the trial will be?" Corazon asked, hand reaching down to slap his brother's other hand.

"Yes. And the judge is going to be Aokiji." Doflamingo said, other hand going to join looping around Corazon's lower waist.

"Kuzan? Well, that will be interesting." Corazon commented as he tried to ignore Doflamingo absently toying with the waistband of his pants. When the other's fingers made as if to pop the buttons of his pants, Corazon reached down and held Doflamingo's hand, and gave his still grinning brother a glower. "I am exhausted, Doffy. I need to go get this over with so that I can go home and get some rest." The younger Donquixote brother really did not have time for Doflamingo's mind games. Or his failure to hide any lusty thoughts that may have entered his mind. Had entered his mind, from the way he was acting right now. Feeling a little bolder when Doflamingo said nothing, Corazon reached out with his other hand to flick his brother's exposed abdomen. "And you are_ not_ doing any of that here in a damn alley. Go home and take care of it yourself. You're impossible lately."

Doflamingo's grin only widened. "You may be tired, but you're certainly blunter with me than when you're not." Doflamingo let go of Corazon reluctantly before he leaned in to peck him on the cheek with a wide grin. "I better let you go before I get you riled up."

"If I ever get 'riled up', you will be the first to know." Corazon tensed as Doflamingo laughed at his response.

"Fufufufu. So serious." Doflamingo chuckled, before he began to walk away, one hand raised in a short wave of farewell. "I'll see you when you get back home."

Corazon waited until his older brother was out of view before he himself left the alley. Going into a jail to question a defendant was no longer an unpleasant idea. Anything to prevent Doflamingo from becoming ridiculously overprotective again. Doflamingo didn't take no for an answer, either, which made him very hard to deal with sometimes. The soluton, therefore, was to find something interesting to distract him with. New information from Ace would have to suffice for now.

As Corazon entered the jail lobby, his thoughts drifted back to Law. He hoped that his adoptive son would be all right, and that being with Kid would not trigger any memories from all those years ago. Memories that Corazon felt shouldn't ever resurface.

Law had been hurt enough as it was back then. To remember everything that had happened would take a toll on him. And Corazon himself, because he hadn't been able to protect Law back then.

Corazon closed the door behind him, and as he walked to the information desk, the blond didn't pay as close attention to where he was walking as he should have. So wrapped up in his own thoughts, mostly about Law's well-being, Corazon failed to notice the large puddle directly in his path.

No one in the immediate area, however, missed the sight of a tall blond haired individual taking a fall and cracking the back of his head against the floor.

"Sir! Are you all right?"

Corazon blinked up at the ceiling. That was odd. Why was he on the ground?

"Sir?"

Corazon glanced to the side as he sat up, and reached back to feel his head. The flare of pain hit him hard.

"Ah! He fell over again!"

The start to a shitty day had already begun the moment he left the hospital, and Corazon would get no relief as his brief meeting with the floor catapulted him into the past. It was only bits and pieces of taking care of law when he'd first found him. So that wasn't such a bad thing to recall.

But the other part that Corazon remember, that was something he could do without.

The mere thought itself was painful, and Corazon desperately hoped that Law would never remember.

Mainly because Corazon wanted Law to be happy.

And remembering _that_ was a surefire way to destroy what little happiness Law did happen to have.

-x-

Ten and a half years ago…

-x

Corazon walked along the hallway of his and his brother's mansion home, and reflected on the past six months. In that time, Law had not grown very accustomed to living off the streets. The blue haired teen even seemed eager to go back to those uncertain living circumstances, despite what he could have here in the Donquixote brothers' home. Law had spent the last six months doing his best to escape from the mansion, and Corazon couldn't imagine why he would do that. The teenager had everything here that he needed to succeed in life with. Money and connections. So why was Law so motivated to throw the opportunity away?

The tall blond haired man shook his head in bewilderment, still not seeing any reason why Law acted the way he did. Sure, Corazon had brought him here against his will, but it was better than being picked up by the cops and taken to some juvenile delinquent home where he had zero chance of accomplishing what Corazon considered lofty goals for someone so young. Being a lawyer took a lot of hard work and education. Corazon paused halfway to his room, before he abruptly turned on his heel and headed toward Law's bedroom that he had been given to use. Perhaps Corazon ought to have that talk with the teen, before he did anything else stupid. Really, the last few escape attempts had been foolish enough as it was. Especially the jumping out a two story window. That hadn't been the best of ideas, and Law was lucky that Diamante had been around, even if the man hadn't been nice to Law.

Corazon bristled at the way Law was being treated as some filthy street urchin by the rest of those living in the mansion. Which he was, Corazon supposed, though he hoped that Law would come around and stop being so damn stubborn. Free education was hard to come by, and Corazon knew Doflamingo would be more than happy to provide the money if Law proved at all competent in the field. Corazon rounded a corner of the hall. He also wanted to talk to Law because he wanted to try and understand why Law was trying to run away. Not to tell him off or force him to do anything. Corazon opened the door to Law's bedroom after knocking, and all thoughts of having a serious discussion fled his mind as he realized that Law was nowhere in sight.

Lovely.

Corazon assumed that that meant there was another escape attempt in progress. The tall blond heaved a sigh. He really hoped that wasn't the case. Just as Corazon turned to leave the room, he paused, his head tilting to the side as he thought he'd heard something. Curious, Corazon headed further into the room, and around the bed to take a look. Corazon stopped just short of stepping on Law, as the young teen had ended up lying on the ground for some reason or another. With a shake of his head, Corazon fell into a crouch, using the bed to steady himself. He reached out with his free hand and gave Law's shoulder a slight shake. "Hey, if you're going to take a rest, do it on the bed. The floor can't be comfortable."

No response.

Corazon frowned before he gently turned Law over onto his side and tried again. "You already asleep?" Law had seemed more subdued and quiet these past few nights, and he hadn't eaten very much.

Again there was no response to the question.

Corazon's confusion turned into concern as he realized that Law's forehead was scrunched up in pain. Not only that, but it appeared as if he were struggling to draw in breaths of air. It ended up sounding like gasps more than anything.

Had Law hurt himself?

Corazon lowered himself so that he rested on one knee, and ran a hand through Law's hair reassuringly. It sucked getting hurt, but it was no reason to lie on the ground. Corazon would know about getting hurt, as he was a walking hazard of accidents. Much to Doflamingo's exasperation. The gesture of reassurance became one of concern as Corazon realized that Law wasn't injured. The teen's forehead was hot to the touch, and as Corazon watched, he saw a massive shiver shake Law's smaller frame.

The blue haired teen wasn't hurt. He was sick.

Corazon immediately lifted Law carefully up off of the ground and settled him against his chest, shifting slightly so that he only had to hold the teen with one arm. Corazon believed that it wasn't a simple cold that Law had come down with right now, that would leave in a day or so. Corazon felt this way because of Law's labored breathing. Something was wrong, and Corazon wasn't going to be taking any chances. As aggravating as Law could be with his continual running off and scowling at the world around him, Corazon couldn't help but want to help the little brat. Corazon rose carefully, so as not to jostle Law out of whatever fevered dream he appeared to be having. The younger Donquixote brother was going to take Law to the hospital, just be on the safe side.

Money wasn't an issue.

With that thought in mind, Corazon turned toward the door and headed out, only to stop short as he nearly ran into his brother, who had obviously been looking for him. Doflamingo wore his exasperated expression anyway, and that was usually indicative that he had a bone to pick with Corazon for whatever reason, be it for work or when Corazon did something clumsy.

Like set the kitchen on fire or fall down the staircase again.

Whatever it was that Doflamingo wanted to ask, Corazon ended up putting on hold due to the sight of a feverish Law shivering in the crook of one arm. Doflamingo grinned, "Brat got sick, did he? I think we have some cold medicine in the kitchen…"

"I'm taking him to the hospital, Doffy." Corazon said shortly, brushing off his brother's suggestion immediately.

Doflamingo furrowed his brow as he looked Law over again. "He doesn't seem that bad off…"

The blue haired teen took that moment to sag heavily against Corazon, his breathing more labored than before. Corazon shoved past his brother. "I don't think so. I'll be at the hospital, if you need me."

Doflamingo apparently wasn't about to let the issue lie that easily. He began to follow after his younger brother. "The brat has been trying to run away for the past half a year. Who the hell cares if something happens to him? He's been nothing but a nuisance since he came here…" Doflamingo was utterly taken aback when Corazon turned abruptly and slapped him. Doflamingo staggered back a step, more out of bewilderment than anything, before his grin stretched painfully wide. "Well, well, who would have thought that you had a soft spot for unruly brats?"

Corazon narrowed his eyes at his brother. "You did tell me to keep an eye on him. That he was my responsibility." The younger blond reminded the other.

"Fufufufu. I suppose you're right. I did say that, didn't I?" Doflamingo's smile vanished as he turned away. "Call me and let me know if you'll be late coming home tonight."

Corazon watched his brother vanish around the corner, and couldn't help but wonder if Doflamingo was going to do anything about him slapping him. The younger Donquixote brother resumed heading for the elevator, as Law's discomfort from his fever and labored breathing spurred him into action. He needed to get Law to the hospital, and he was lucky there was one not too far away.

-x

Corazon remained seated on a bench neat Law's hospital bed, as the chairs had been far too small for him. The nurse that had just left the room had informed him that visiting hours were over soon, and that he could come back early the next morning.

The younger Donquixote brother absently fussed with the sheets as he looked at Law anxiously.

The blue haired teen had been given an oxygen mask, and while he still seemed to be having trouble breathing, it seemed to be less taxing with the extra oxygen he was receiving.

The doctor had sent a test in to see what was afflicting Law, but the man had been fairly certain that it was a virus that had been going around these past few weeks that got teenagers and young adults sick. There had even been a few deaths, due to those not getting treatment soon enough.

Corazon checked Law over again, reluctant to leave the young teen's side, in case he woke in the middle of the night, or his condition worsened. Then he reminded himself that Law had been nothing but hostile toward himself and his brother. Corazon still wondered why and wanted desperately to pose the question to Law. But it would have to wait until the young teen was well enough. Corazon started when his cell phone went off, and he hastily answered it, before the nurse came back and scolded him. Corazon rose and headed over to the window, "Yes?"

_"I thought I told you to give me a call, Roci."_

Corazon nearly cringed at the semi hostile tone to his brother's voice. Corazon glanced at the clock and received a jot. It was later than he thought.

_"Lost track of time, did you?"_

"…Yes." Corazon couldn't remember the last time that Doflamingo had sounded so angry. "They told me I had to leave soon, but they want me to come back in the morning to fill out some paperwork."

_"So you're coming home then?"_

Corazon blinked. "Yes." Why wouldn't he?

_"I'll see you when you get back then."_ The phone went dead.

Corazon pocketed the phone, and headed for the door. He paused on his way to give the fitfully sleeping Law one last look. He hoped that he would be all right. Corazon left the hospital and went straight home, though he ended up going to his room and falling asleep, without bumping into Doflamingo. Neither did Corazon see his brother the next morning, because Corazon left as soon as he'd woken up, worried for Law, and at a loss how he had to fill out paperwork for a teen he knew next to nothing about.

Luckily, Law had been awake when Corazon had arrived at the hospital.

Law saved Corazon the awkward questions by hospital staff by feebly telling Corazon the basic information that the hospital needed to know. The legal things could wait, as Corazon could pay cash for now for law's treatment. And no one was going to argue with one of the Donquixote brothers.

-x

Corazon almost never left Law's side but for when visiting hours were over, and it was nearly a week before Doflamingo finally had had enough, and cornered his brother in the elevator on his way to see Law, who the doctor believed to be doing better, and was out of danger.

-x

Corazon was startled at Doflamingo's sudden appearance, and was taken aback when Doflamingo backed him into a corner of the elevator with a harsh shove. "Doffy?" Corazon wasn't sure what was wrong, but the confusion and hurt in his voice seemed to calm Doflamingo and make the other blond act more rationally.

Doflamingo stepped back as he spoke. "You haven't been answering my calls…"

Corazon averted his eyes. "I've been busy…"

"Watching after the brat?" Doflamingo provided.

"Don't call him that." Corazon said, instantly defensive.

Veins popped up across Doflamingo's forehead as a scowl replaced the smile that he had been wearing. "Is some sick brat more important to you than your own brother?"

Corazon gave Doflamingo a confused look. "What the hell are you on about? Neither of you is more important than the other. I just wanted to make sure that Law is all right. And I know that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, as those thugs from two days ago discovered."

Doflamingo switched back to a grin. "I guess that's true."

Corazon expected more, but Doflamingo merely turned and left the elevator, leaving the younger blond bewildered by his older brother's actions. But Corazon brushed off the encounter as he continued on his way to the hospital.

-x

Much to Corazon's relief, Law recovered from the virus, and the blue haired teen was able to go home with him two weeks after he had been admitted to the hospital. The bills had been staggering, but it wasn't the pressing matter at the moment. Corazon knew that he still had to remedy why Law didn't have a legal guardian. Or parents, for that matter. Preferably before the questions started to be posed and they could no longer be avoided.

Doflamingo wasn't helping the matter very much by being distant with him, but he was the only person Corazon was willing to approach about it. Law had not run away after he had returned from the hospital, and had taken to staying in a room with Corazon while reading books. Corazon wasn't about to ask Doflamingo's permission for what he was thinking about. Just clarification and help. Corazon had already came to an internal decision on the matter, after watching Law for the past week. Law didn't seem to mind him around as much as before, and the teen even appeared mortified when Corazon kept checking up on him to make sure he was okay. Until Corazon had gone and injured himself by breaking through a window one night when Law had coughed.

Corazon paused outside Doflamingo's office in the mansion, and cringed. That had been only a few nights ago, and not only had Law scolded him about it, but Doflamingo had been quite upset with him as well. Maybe this wasn't the best idea to bring up right now…

"Don't just stand out there, Roci. Come in."

Corazon again cringed at his brother's curt tone, but entered the office nonetheless.

Doflamingo looked up from his paperwork on his desk, and was obviously irritable from the look of things. "What is it?"

Corazon took a deep breath, before he voiced his thoughts. "I was thinking about adopting Law." Doflamingo's expression was priceless, because whatever the older blond had expected, that certainly wasn't it.

-x

Corazon was pleased that Doflamingo had agreed to help him. He was even amused at Law's indignation and horror about the whole idea. And the unfair way that Doflamingo had leapt out of the mansion from three stories up to go deliver the paperwork. Corazon was hurt that Law wouldn't call him father or dad, but when he thought about it more, Corazon didn't mind as much. Because he rather liked it when Law had started to call him 'Cora-san.'

The fact that Law had uttered it a day ago made Corazon unable to help himself from fawning over his newly adopted son, much to Law's embarrassment.

-x

The previous day...

Corazon looked up from a paper that he was going over as Law shuffled into the room, avoiding his gaze and looking like the surly fourteen year old he was. "Law?"

"Why did you adopt me? I thought you didn't even like me." The question was asked with eyes firmly on the floor of the room.

Corazon blinked at Law for a moment, before he set the paper he'd been staring at down. "Well...one, so the cops don't arrest me and my brother for keeping a random teenager in our house against their will..." The blond haired man grinned as that made Law snap his head up to glare at him.

"You did it for legal reasons?"

Corazon was perceptive enough to hear beneath the incredulity was genuine hurt. The younger Donquixote brother ran a hand through his mussed up hair and looked away. "It's just one reason..."

Law turned away to face the door, "What's the other one?"

Corazon hesitated for a moment, before he got up and headed over to Law, and knelt down to ruffle the teen's hair. "The other reason is because I thought that you looked lonely."

Law swatted Corazon's hand away to turn around to look at him suspiciously. "What the hell kind of a reason is that?"

Corazon smiled lightly at the scowl on Law's face, before he responded, "Because I know what it's like to be lonely."

The blue haired teen's expression became puzzled. "What do you mean? Don't you hang out with the others in the mansion?"

Corazon slowly shook his head. "Only Doffy. But he's been busy lately. I don't know if you have noticed, but the others don't exactly like my company."

"Because you screw things up?" Law questioned. "Like burning the kitchen down last month?"

Corazon laughed, though it was forced. "Among other things."

"I don't mind it when you do clumsy things, Cora-san. It's not like you do them on purpose. And you were trying to cheer me up the past few times when stuff like that happened." Law twitched as Corazon moved back slightly to stare at him. "What is it?" Law asked at length, when the blond haired man said nothing for a minute.

The younger Donquixote brother beamed at Law, before he swooped in on the smaller teen and hugged him. "You called me Cora-san!"

"Ack! Leggo!" Law squawked as Corazon held him in a crushing hug. "I can't breathe!" The dark haired teenager felt himself let go of abruptly, only to be faced with Corazon's teary visage. Law frowned in confusion. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something earlier? Baby 5 mentioned something about the couch and the rug..."

"You're so cute!" Corazon gushed as he hugged Law again. "And don't worry, I won't bother you at night anymore. You aren't sick after all. Doffy might kill me if I break any more windows."

"You broke others?" Law asked, trying to wriggle free of the hug. It was still odd to think that this man had adopted him out of some sense of pity. At least, that was what it seemed like to Law. "Have you broken more than what I've seen you do?"

That query set off a long explanation from Corazon, though he cheerfully admitted to the other disasters, because Law seemed to be more accepting of his presence after having answered his question about the adoption.

Mostly.

Another reason that Corazon wouldn't admit to anyone was that he had also adopted Law to spite Doflamingo. In that Corazon was making it clear that he had not appreciated his brother's odd jealousy for him taking care of Law when he had been sick. Not to mention Corazon found Law to be easier to talk to than his own brother, and found that he could be himself more around Law than he could be around Doflamingo.

-x

More and more Corazon found that he enjoyed his adopted son's company as time passed. And Law seemed to enjoy being around Corazon in return, though he did appear to get embarrassed when Corazon ended up falling over in public on more than one occasion. Corazon had even started to help the blue haired teen to study, as Law had again expressed interest in becoming a lawyer. Interestingly, Corazon had begun to interact with some of the others that lived in the mansion, and even they seemed to be accepting of Corazon again, even if they were still exasperated with his clumsiness and the incidents that it caused. Corazon figured that Law had something to do with it, as he had caught the teen glaring at Baby 5 and driving her to tears for whatever it was that she had said.

Despite things going more smoothly in the younger Donquixote brother's life, and the fact that Law was no longer trying to run, Corazon didn't realize that one person was unhappy with all the attention that had been piled onto Law as of late.

Doflamingo.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: The next chapter will likely be the rest of Corazon's memories of the past, and then I'll move on with the present storyline. I just figured that it would be good to get it out sooner so that later things in the fanfic will make more sense. Then if there are any more past references, they won't be nearly as long.

And yes, Law is going to slip up slightly regarding Kid, and will be mortified that he did so. But Kid will be happy about it in any case. And there will be more KidxLaw scenes as the story goes on.

And Law's eight month stint away from Corazon is rather disturbing, actually. I seem to like to toss dark stuff in along with the humor, and I glossed over most of it in a way that people can figure out what was going on without my actually having to write anything graphic. Since part of it will play into the fic at a later time (and sort of already has).

On a more amusing note, I am going to have fun with Aokiji as the judge and Cavendish as the prosecutor later on in the fic.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: This chapter will finish with the past and go back to the present timeline, and the fic should start to move along toward the middle/end of this chapter (and the next chapter onward).

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Corazon was unaware that his older brother was slowly losing his patience with him, and all of the time that he spent with Law. That blissful ignorance lasted for a few weeks, before Doflamingo had had enough, and decided to confront Corazon about what was bothering him so much.

-x

Corazon winced as Doflamingo led him none too gently along the hall, one hand wrapped firmly about a wrist. Corazon stumbled, but Doflamingo kept him upright, and continued to lead him, not breathing a word, or even looking at him, for that matter. Corazon was confused when they ended up in Doflamingo's bedroom, and could only assume that Doflamingo wished to discuss something with him in private. Corazon heard the door lock, and that seemed a little off to him, before his older brother brought his attention back to his current predicament by shoving him toward the nearest wall of the bedroom. Corazon winced as he hit his back against the wall, and was utterly confused as to why Doflamingo was acting so damn strange. "What the hell, Doffy?"

Really, what need was there for being so rough?

Corazon didn't have much of a chance to say anything else, and he finally ended up learning why Doflamingo was so frustrated with him all of the time, but Corazon couldn't believe that Doflamingo had chosen to take said frustration out on him in a very intimate way. And not provide a very good reason for why he had taken such drastic actions. Jealousy wasn't something that Corazon was even going to really consider seriously, since that would be very petty of Doflamingo.

But Doflamingo's mood improved after that night in any case. Corazon trod warily around his older brother in any case, the event that the other made any indication that he was planning on dragging him off to the bedroom for another unexpected intimate encounter.

Corazon shivered at the thought, through the shiver was more from a cold that he had come down with recently more than anything. It didn't help that Doflamingo insisted on watching over him to make sure he didn't get worse off than he was, and point blank refused to allow Corazon to go along with Law to run an errand. Corazon glowered at his brother as Doflamingo waved a hand airily.

"The kid's fifteen years old. He can run a small errand on his own. Don't worry so much."

Corazon rested back in bed, but pointedly avoided his brother's grinning face. He supposed he was worried about Law, but Doflamingo was right. Law was old enough that doing a short errand should be simple enough. He didn't need constant supervision, and there wasn't any worry that he would be trying to run away anymore.

But that same day was the day that Corazon fell silent, because Doflamingo had been very wrong. Law did not return home that evening, nor did he return the following morning. And Corazon couldn't deny that something had to have happened, because several more days passed without catching sight of Law.

The blue haired teenager was missing.

-x

It was eight months to the day that Law had been abducted, and over those agonizingly long months, Corazon could barely find it in himself to eat, as he was more concerned that there had been no notes of ransom or anything. It was as if Law had disappeared off the face of the earth without any warning at all.

But one thing did happen that finally spurred Corazon into action from the lethargy that he had fallen into as the months had gone by. It was a rumor, and a very shaky one at that, and as it had come from a petty criminal with a history of lying, no one paid it too much heed as they followed more reliable leads.

But the younger Donquixote brother couldn't stand waiting any longer, and left the police station after he'd overheard the address in question, without a word to the police or Doflamingo, who had been in the station helping out with sifting through rumors and tips.

-x

Corazon took a gun with him. He's made a short stop back home, and left immediately before anyone could question him about where it was that he was going armed. The place Corazon went to was crawling with low life thugs, but one look at the tall blond and most decided that they had better places to be in the city. Corazon entered the nondescript building, and had very little pity for the men who tried to stop him from going any further. The younger Donquixote brother let off several rounds at those who tried to impede his progress, and after breaking down a door, Corazon descended down a staircase that led underground. Corazon's pace quickened when he noticed cells, and dead or dying people within, most of them teenagers.

Where had they all come from? Why weren't there more missing people's reports filed?

By the time Corazon reached the lowest underground floor, he was absolutely disgusted by what he had seen thus far, and desperately hoped that, no matter how much he wanted to see Law, that the dark haired teenager was not there. Mainly because the dead people he had passed by looked as though that had been sexually abused before being left to die, or merely killed, by some of the wounds the bodies exhibited. Sick to his stomach, Corazon continued on, determined to check everywhere. And felt as if his heart would stop at the sound of a cry of pain accompanied by laughter.

Law…

It had to be Law…

Corazon gripped his gun tightly, finger on the trigger. Whoever was with Law was dead.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

-x

The time it took Corazon to reach the final cell, and take Law away from the building seemed to take ages, when in reality it had likely only lasted minutes.

Corazon was in a dark mood, especially as he thought about the dead man that had been on the ground with a knife in his throat. But those thoughts vanished as he nearly walked into his brother, who had obviously come looking for him when he had left the police station and hadn't returned.

Doflamingo's expression was hard to read as he looked at Corazon, and then Law, whom the younger Donquixote brother had wrapped in a blanket he'd found. "I see that you found him. Did you kill anyone looking for him?"

Corazon gave a minute shrug. He wasn't sure. He'd just taken down those that stood between him and his search for Law. Whether they were dead or not didn't matter right now.

Doflamingo's gaze seemed to fix on Law from behind his glasses. "Roci…take him to the hospital. I doubt that his captors were pleasant to him." Doflamingo turned his head to look past his brother, and to the building Corazon had just emerged from. "I'll have the police show here after I'm finished…taking a look around."

Corazon needed no second bidding. He didn't like the tone in Doflamingo's voice. It didn't bode well for the people that were still inside the building. Corazon only hoped that his brother was gone by the time the police arrived. Though Corazon did find it interesting that Doflamingo appeared to be angry about Law's pathetic appearance, when he hadn't shown much concern over the past eight months since the teen had been kidnapped. Corazon clutched Law close as he made his way to the hospital, where the doctor confirmed what Corazon had feared.

That Law had been assaulted both physically and sexually during his eight month abduction. But when Corazon brought up Law not remembering very much of his captivity, the doctor suggested that the teen may have subconsciously locked away those memories as a coping mechanism. The doctor had then advised Corazon to not try and push Law to remember the abuse. That he needed to heal at his own pace.

Corazon agreed that he would keep quiet about what happened. If all Law remembered was being beaten up and starved, Corazon would not say anything else to make things harder on his adoptive son.

-x

Corazon kept a close eye on Law as the year went on, but even then the dark haired teenager seemed to be taking it slow, content to recover at his own pace. Corazon was pleased to see that Law was not about to let his ordeal hold him back, and watched as Law threw himself into his studies, and it appeared as if he were more determined than ever to accomplish what he had stated he would accomplish years ago. Though Law no longer wanted to put Corazon or Doflamingo behind bars. He wanted to put the criminals that had harmed him and others behind bars, and those like them.

At age 20, Law became the youngest ever defense attorney of the Donquixote firm.

Corazon couldn't help but cry as he hugged his adoptive son and showered him with praises of how proud of him he was. Law had acted accordingly, embarrassed, and had made an attempt to be aloof, even if he had allowed Corazon to ruffle his hair affectionately without complaint. Corazon was even happier when at age 22, Law put away several dangerous criminals, as well as some not so threatening punks. Corazon was so proud of what Law had accomplished so far that even though the younger blond haired man had to deal with Doflamingo's continued jealousy, Corazon just didn't care. Because Law was living his life again, not burdened by his abduction or his start to life of living on the street before he'd met Corazon. The younger Donquixote brother thought all was well as Law turned 24.

Then the impossible happened. Law had been abducted again, and it appeared as if someone wanted his adoptive son dead.

-x-

Present time

-x-

Corazon slowly woke from his impromptu meeting with the floor. Where was he? Corazon saw cops looking down at him, and with a jolt, remembered. That's right. He was going to go speak to Ace….Doflamingo had delayed him, and then….he'd slipped on something. And hit his head, from the feel of it, and obviously passed out. Being unconscious was easy to attribute to the trip down memory lane he'd just experienced.

"Roci?"

Corazon stiffened and sat up, swaying a little as he did, though a hand reached out to steady him. Corazon blinked in confusion. Why was Doflamingo there, sitting on a bench next to him?

Wait. Why was he on a bench? Just how long had he been unconscious?

Doflamingo dropped his hand after he had seen that Corazon could sit upright on his own without any trouble. "Of course you would find the only puddle to slip in."

Puddle? There had been a puddle? Well, at least that explained why he had slipped. Corazon shook his head lightly. "I need to speak with Ace."

"I know you need to. I told them to go get him." Doflamingo stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go with you. You're going home after you talk to him." Doflamingo frowned slightly, and it seemed as thought from the tilt of his head that he was looking at Corazon's bandaged chest. "You're more hurt than I initially thought."

Corazon stood up carefully, and, satisfied that he was not going to get dizzy and fall over, eyed Doflamingo in exasperation. "I am not questioning someone in a room with you. He might not talk if there are two of us, when he only expects one. And neither of us are Law, who Ace is most likely expecting to see."

"I told them to let Ace know the situation so he won't get suspicious." Doflamingo responded.

"I want to go alone, Doffy."

Doflamingo relented easily enough, which made Corazon suspicious. "Fine, fine. I'll just wait in the room with the cops and watch you talk to him then."

Corazon gave a noncommittal jerk of his head, winced as that made the back of his head ache, before he brushed past his older brother and followed along after a police officer who was obviously waiting for him to follow after him. The sooner Corazon got this over with, the sooner he could go home and get some rest. Though from the way that Doflamingo was acting, his brother was probably going to screw that up in some way as well.

The younger Donquixote brother was led to a small room with a table and two chairs. From the looks of it, it was an interrogation room, though without the single light over the table. Corazon swiveled his head around to check. Nope. It was an ordinary room, albeit a very small one.

Corazon settled himself in a corner of the room, foregoing the chair, as it was far too small for him to sit on. Again, Corazon looked around the room silently before he decided that it looked like an interrogation room after all. How cheerful, Corazon thought, rather annoyed that he could not smoke indoors. He could try, but he had seen the no smoking signs.

Too bad. Between Doflamingo and some unpleasant memories of the past, Corazon could have used a cigarette.

-x

All things considered, this was a shitty end to a shitty week. No matter what he did, no one would listen to him. No matter how much he said that he did not kill the guy in the bar, no one would listen to him. It was as if all of the police in the area were conspiring against him, all because of some stupid shit he did when he was a younger a few years ago. Ace had not meant to set that car on fire that one time, but he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when something else was set on fire days later. And that one totally wasn't his fault. But no one would listen to him then either. Not much had changed, it seemed, except that the police hadn't thought he was a murderer back then. Just some punk kid that didn't know how to control himself. What with his pyromaniac stunts that under most circumstances could've been overlooked, but now they were trying to use that as a reason why he killed someome.

Rather not killed someone, in his opinion.

Ace didn't look like a murderer, although right now, shirtless as he was, and a couple days without sleep, he certainly felt like he probably looked like some crazed psychopath. He could kill for a cigarette right now too. Though at this jail, there was no smoking. Who the hell couldn't smoke in a prison? The cops were just no fun at all anymore.

Ace currently reclined on a small cot in a cell that he was being kept in, and stared at the boring ceiling that had 50 large tiles making it up. He had counted them, because he was so bored. At the very least, the police had informed him of what was going on outside of the cell. Though the fact that Trafalgar Law had been kidnapped, or abducted, was bad for him. Law was supposed to be the one that would defend him in court. Who was supposed to do that now?

"Hey, there's someone here to see you."

Ace sat up and stretched, stifling a yawn as he eyed the cop. "Yeah? Did someone come to bail me out?" The black haired young man asked in a teasing tone, but apparently the cop did not appreciate it, because he was still scowling.

"Funny guy. Come on, get over here." The policeman opened the cell, and dangled some handcuffs.

Ace didn't bother arguing, as he stood up and went over to the cop, and held his hands out. He knew how all this would go, but he didn't like the idea of meeting someone in handcuffs, but he guessed it couldn't be helped. Especially because the police thought hat he was murderer. That was going to get old really fast. Had grown old in fact. "But Law isn't around, is he?" Really, what the hell of that guy been thinking, staying in a shitty part of town?

"No, but you're in luck. It's one of the Donquixote brothers that run was firm that he works for."

Well, that was an interesting turn of events. Why would people as busy at them bother with him? Ace was confused, but he followed alongside the cop to the interrogation room, and wondered just what was going on. Had they found someone else to defend them in court, or were they there to express their remorse that Law had been abducted, and therefore they couldn't do anything for him?

-x

Corazon watched as Ace was brought in, handcuffed, and left in one of the chairs in the room across from the table speak to him. Corazon waited until the door shut, though he was fairly certain that the cops, and Doflamingo, would be watching from another room. He'd seen the cameras in the room. After a moment, Corazon commented in a light tone, "It seems like the police are being overly careful." The blond indicated the handcuffs with the wave of his hand.

Ace smiled and shrugged at that. "It does seem to make them feel better." Ace studied Corazon for a moment, and his bandaged chest, as his shirt was only draped over his shoulders. "What happened to you?"

Corazon's voice was all but flat. "I was shot, but that isn't why I'm here."

Damn, so than the rumors Ace had heard about the Donquixote brothers was true. They were both monsters. They get shot like it was nothing, and that was very worrying for anyone that might have gone after them. But Ace could catch a hint when it was given to him. He left the matter alone and changed tracks. "I watched the news. What will happen if Law can't repersent me for the trial?"

Ace left off the part that he had known Law when they were younger, and also left out that the reason he requested Law in the first place was because of that. Law knew him, and Ace knew that Law would know that he would never do something like he been accused of. Ace had almost been offended when he been told that Law didn't recall him, but was going to take his case anyway. It was part of the reason why Ace was disappointed that Law wasn't here now. He had wanted to confront Law about not knowing him, when they had lived on the street for three years together, along with a few other people. Ace knew that the 11 years had passed since then, but a 13-year-old should have been able to remember that. Hell, Ace was younger than Law, and even he remembered. Corazon's response took Ace from his thoughts.

"If Law can't be located soon, I'm supposed to take his place. My brother, Doflamingo, suggested it." Corazon said. He didn't feel very well, and felt that his chest was aching, all because of the bullet wound that hadn't had a chance to heal. As soon as Corazon saw Doflamingo, he was going to give him a piece of his mind. Not that Corazon thought that Doflamingo would really care, as that man seem to derive some enjoyment from him giving him crap.

At least he'd be able to voice his complaints to the man, as Doflamingo seemed very insistent on going home with him after this little conversation was at its end for the day.

The conversation for the rest of the allotted time was just for very basic info, and from that alone, Ace knew that Corazon must have felt worse than he let on. Because the other man should have already had the information they were speaking about. When the black haired young man saw Corazon start to rise, he hesitated, before he asked. "Is that it?"

"…For now. I'll come tomorrow or the next day to get your side of the story of what happened. But from what I've read in the file, it all seems very suspicious to me."

Ace knew it would have to be, and whether Corazon meant it in a way that he was innocent or not didn't matter for now. "…Is there a way to see my brother instead of just speaking to him on the phone?"

Corazon looked taken aback for a moment, before his gaze seemed to soften. "I'll see what I can do. If there is any face to face, it won't likely be in the same room."

That was enough of an answer for Ace, and he went quietly enough with the cop who entered the room, even if he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. Because he hadn't killed anyone, and it was frustrating to no end that everyone else seemed convinced that he had.

Except for his brother, and there was nothing Luffy could do to prove that Ace hadn't done anything.

-x

Corazon left the jail, avoiding everyone he could on the way out on the off chance that he might be able to avoid Doflamingo. But the hope was dashed as an arm draped causally over his shoulders out of the blue.

"Guess who I saw?" Doflamingo asked, careful of the pressure of his arm over his brother's shoulders.

"Who?" Corazon asked shorty.

"Smoker. He didn't seem happy to see you here until I told him it was work related."

"It couldn't be because I got myself shot being somewhere that I wasn't supposed to be?" Corazon questioned. He held still as Doflamingo's arm pulled him closer, and Corazon was forced to head for the red car that was parked on the side of the street.

"You aren't very good at listening to others." Doflamingo commented, as he continued to steer the two of them in the direction of the car. "If you aren't careful, it might get you killed."

"You aren't always very careful either, you know." Corazon muttered back irritably, fatigued and not really caring if being cross with his brother got him in trouble or not.

"Fufufu. Someone ought to get some rest before they say or do something else stupid."

Corazon shook Doflamingo's arm off his shoulders and got into the car, scrunching up slightly as Doflamingo got in as well, making the back of the car rather cramped, even if Doflamingo disregarded the seatbelts and chose to sit close to him. Good thing the car's backseat was big enough for them both, but only just.

"Are we headed home?"

"Yes, Monet, we are." Doflamingo looked away from the light green haired woman to stare out the window, but Corazon knew that Doflamingo was looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

It was a rather awkward drive home for the younger Donquixote brother, because nothing and everything was being said from Doflamingo not looking directly at him. And that was usually an indication that Doflamingo was unhappy about something.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: FYI, last update of the year for this story. I'll probably start back up at sometime in January. Going to be busy for the next few weeks.

And as a side note, this chapter and the previous one will likely be edited at some point (probably when I finish the fanfic). The first part of this chapter seems off, and it'll take me a bit to figure out what, other than it seeming choppy at times.


	16. Chapter 16

The Donquixote brothers drive home was made entirely in silence, as Corazon had all but ignored Doflamingo's attempts to start a conversation. It wasn't for lack of trying on Doflamingo's part, but because Corazon had long since perfected being able to tune him out. And control himself, no matter what it was that Doflamingo happened to say to him, relevant or not to the topic at hand. And Doflamingo's latest attempt in the car was quite a low blow.

"Maybe Law will get of his high horse after this. If he hadn't insisted that he could take care of himself, I doubted he would have been whisked off like he was."

Corazon tried, he really did, to ignore his brother, but when it came to Law, Corazon couldn't help but respond to the words. "It isn't Law's fault that he was abducted." Corazon didn't look at Doflamingo. "And he might have agreed to security to keep an eye on him, but you pressured him so much about it that he decided against it.

"I'm disappointed, little brother. To think that you only seem interested in a conversation when Law's brought into it..."

Corazon heard the grin in Doflamingo's voice. "Only when you try and make it seem like he deserves what happened to him for not heeding your advice." Then, remembering that he was supposed to be ignoring Doflamingo, and not engaging him in conversation, Corazon turned back to look out the window, even if the motion made him wince. And since he was turned away, he didn't se the small frown cross Doflamingo's face at the ginger way he moved.

Corazon closed his eyes, and decided that until the car stopped, he would be keep them that way. He didn't really feel the need to see his brother shoot him disproving glares for all but ignoring his presence again. Corazon knew that Doflamingo would address it sooner or later, and quite frankly, the younger blond needed the silence to center himself after that uncalled for dig at Law. Corazon was in pain from his wound, and knew that he needed to take some medicine that he had taken along with him from the hospital.

Whether Corazon would be able to get to it before or after Doflamingo reamed him for ignoring him was left to be seen.

Especially due to how easily Doflamingo had given up trying to strike up a conversation after Corazon had defended Law's decision to not take guards with him. It made Corazon believe that his brother was up to something. And that something Corazon knew he would find out about as soon as the two of them returned home. Corazon lifted one of his hands to rest it lightly against his bandaged chest. It still ached, as it had the whole day so far, and he doubted that Doflamingo actually cared about how he felt like shit right now.

"Roci…?"

Corazon started and opened his eyes, startled when he realized that the car had stopped, and Doflamingo had already gotten out of the vehicle, and was waiting for him to do the same. With a single look at his brother, Corazon exited the car the opposite side, though he had to lean up against the car to let a feeling of dizziness pass by. The next thing he knew, there was a hand on his lower back, helping to steady him. Corazon held perfectly still as Doflamingo spoke quietly.

"Go on ahead."

Corazon felt the hand drop, and the younger Donquixote brother went toward the mansion without a backward glance. He knew that for sure Doflamingo was going to follow him and corner him somewhere to talk, since he had refused to do so on the way home. Or at least, hadn't made it easy for Doflamingo to get him to talk.

"On second thought, meet me in my room."

Corazon stumbled on the sidewalk at the words, but managed to not fall over as he continued on, pretending to have not heard his brother. If Corazon had felt better, he would have gone straight to his own room, and made Doflamingo meet him there, but since he wasn't feeling his best, he didn't. Corazon went straight to Doflamingo's room as soon as he had gotten into the mansion, and he didn't have to wait long for his older brother to join him.

Doflamingo prowled into the bedroom, and watched silently as his brother settled down onto a large, comfy chair. Doflamingo seemed to be able to tell that Corazon was still in pain after being shot, and approached him slowly. "Are you all right? Did you take the pain killers?"

Corazon lifted his head to glare at him, but said nothing and looked away.

Doflamingo moved closer, wearing a small smile as he spoke cajolingly, "Now, now, this isn't the time to give me the silent treatment."

Corazon tilted his head and, while the glare remained, the younger blond haired man spoke this time around. "Of course not. I wasn't even supposed to have left the hospital, but I did, to go and speak to Ace. I haven't had any time to take anything because you had been insistent that I go take care of things." Corazon instantly regretted the harsh tone he had used, but there wasn't much he could do to protest as Doflamingo was suddenly there, and leaning over him, arms on either side of Corazon's head on the back of the chair.

"I know it must hurt, but I need you to endure it for me. I need your help to stand in for Law, while the police look for him." Doflamingo tilted his head, "Unless you think I should do it myself, in addition t keeping the prosecution from jumping the gun."

"I never said I was going to interfere with your work..." Corazon subconsciously leaned up against the back of the chair as Doflamingo settled onto the chair over him more closely, and shivered slightly as the other's breath tickled the side of his neck.. "D…Doffy…my wound…" Corazon bit his lip as Doflamingo gently curled a hand behind the back of his head, and leaned in for a kiss. Corazon made a faint muffled sound of protest, before he felt Doflamingo start to shove the shirt off of his shoulders. "…my wound…" Corazon insisted again as Doflamingo began to nuzzle the skin between throat and shoulder.

"I know. Shh." Doflamingo said quietly in return, as he rested his free hand on Corazon's shoulder, and trailed the other hand down to trace the bandages with his fingertips. "I just wanted to remind myself how much I wanted to kill the guy who shot you."

"Doffy." Corazon hissed as he gripped his brother's hand. "You're going to rip the stitches if you keep doing that." Corazon froze as Doflamingo rested more heavily against him, hands going to both shoulders to pin him against the chair. Corazon shifted uncomfortably as Doflamingo slid on knee between his legs as the older blond leaned in closer and spoke again.

"I'm not going to tear them. I'd rather not have you bleed any more than you already have." Doflamingo's voce grew cold as his knee dug harder against Corazon, which made the younger man squirm uncomfortably. Doflamingo continued, wearing a ghost of a smile. "And I want to make it clear to you that I don't want you to put yourself in harm's way like that ever again." Doflamingo lightly kissed the side of Corazon's throat. "Let the police handle this. I'm sure they will be able to find Law on their own. His captor doesn't seem particularly smart. Maybe Law will even be able to get away on his own."

Corazon couldn't protest Doflamingo's actions right now, mainly because he knew that it would only make this worse. So Corazon endured it instead, because he knew it wouldn't last. But Doflamingo really should have known better than to tell him to pretty much not worry about Law and his predicament.

Because Corazon wasn't about to stop looking for Law, even if Doflamingo tried to make him physically exhausted every day, either by his own hands or by making Corazon work on Ace's case.

-x

Doflamingo had made it perfectly clear that he would be back later to check on him.

Corazon was just grateful for the silence and the alone time. Despite the fact that Corazon only wanted to rest, he reached for his discarded pants off the edge of the bed. One hand was to his aching, bandaged chest as he retrieved the article of clothing, and Corazon hoped that the stitches had held. Doflamingo had tried his best to be gentle, but the 'try' was hard to manage when Corazon had decided to take some issue with Doflamingo being an overbearing asshole.

With a shake of his head, Corazon dug out the cell phone in the pants pocket, and set it on the nearby bed stand, when it started to go off. That was unexpected. Corazon fumbled with the phone, nearly dropping it back onto the table as he answered the call, desperately hoping that it was Law. Corazon knew it wasn't about to be his brother, as he wouldn't bother calling. Doflamingo would just show up in the room if he wanted to speak to him. The younger Donquixote brother pressed the answer call button, and held the phone to his ear, his voice hopeful. "Law?"

The voice on the other end spoke softly and confirmed what the younger blond had hoped.

'_Cora-san.'_

Corazon clutched the cell tightly as he held it close to his ear, worry evident in his tone. "Are you all right? Where are you?"

'_I'm fine, for now. I accidently made Eustass-ya angry…I have to be more careful.'_

Corazon's eyes narrowed at that. "Did he hurt you?"

'_I believe choking me would count.' _

Corazon ground his teeth, his free hand twitching. The younger Donquixote brother would love nothing more that to choke Eustass Kid in return for daring to harm Law.

The dark haired man on the other end of the line figured out Corazon's sudden silence. _'I'll be all right, Cora-san. Eustass-ya stopped after he realized what he was doing. But…it made me think about…what happened when I was fifteen…'_

Corazon froze up as the anger left him as he spoke softly. "All of it?" He hoped not. Corazon wasn't ready to delve into any of that, and he desperately hoped for Law's sake that the blue haired lawyer didn't remember more than he already did.

'…_I don't remember everything. Just some things. Like the people that were there when they beat me up. Though most of it is still a blank for me. Until you came and rescued me. I don't try to remember, because you told me not to.'_

Corazon felt a wave of relief wash over him. Good, it wasn't as bad as he had thought. But the distraught tone in Law's voice...Corazon wanted nothing more than to reassure the dark haired lawyer, but knew that there wasn't damn thing he could do to succeed that Law wouldn't see through straight away. Corazon knew, and so did Law, that the younger Donquixote brother was a terrible liar. "I know. I still don't want you to remember. You're happier, not knowing." Corazon took a breath before he got to the matter at hand. "Listen to me Law. Where are you?"

'_A shitty part of the city. And I know, there are a lot of those. I am not sure which part it would be.'_ Law sounded run down, as if realizing that he couldn't be much use. Then, in a self-deprecating way Law added. _'And there is no point in yelling for help. The walls are soundproof.'_

Corazon hissed something under his breath. "I do not like what that implies."

Law laughed, though it sounded forced. _'At least Eustass-ya has only forced himself on me once since we have been here. He seems to have finally realized I did not appreciate it.'_

"Forced?" Corazon all but growled. He could sympathize, as Doflamingo had done the same to him recently. "Are you going to be okay until someone is able to locate you?"

Law's voice was filled with dark humor. _'I think all I have to worry about is the occasional sex and overly touchy feely aftermath.'_ Law cursed under his breath. _'Damn, I think he is waking up. Here…' _Law rattled off some landmarks he had seen before going into the apartment.

Corazon scribbled the info down on a notepad on the table nearby, "Law, I'm sorry."

There was an intake of breath on the other line, before Law responded. _'No, I am, Cora-san. I should have locked my door. I should have paid better attention.' _Law's voice became a whisper._ 'It's my fault that this happened…'_

"No. This is _not _your fault. Don't you dare blame yourself." Corazon said immediately, as firmly as he could. "Kid didn't have to go to your apartment and do any of those things to you. Please don't think that this is in any way your fault. If anything, it is mine for not making sure you were safe before you left home." Corazon hated to think that Law would blame himself for what he had no control over. Corazon stiffened as he heard the low murmur of Kid's voice and knew that he wouldn't be able to speak to Law for much longer.

'_What the fuck! Where the hell did you get the phone?'_

'_You're an idiot for not checking for one._' Law snapped in response and it appeared like he wasn't about to give up the phone.

"Law?" Corazon decided that he wanted to reassure Law anyway, even if it turned out to be a difficult promise to keep.

'_Cora-san?'_

Corazon heard the desperation in his adoptive son's voice. Wanting, _needing_, reassurance of any kind, even if it was a lie. Corazon closed his eyes briefly, before he opened them and spoke softly, wearing a small, sad smile. "I love you, Law. I'm sorry. I really am. I'll try and get you home as soon as I am able to, with it without the police's help. Understand?"

Law sounded choked up. _'Yes, I do...but make it sooner, Cora-san.'_

The phone went dead, and Corazon nearly felt his heart break at the broken way Law had spoken those last few words. Corazon deposited the phone on the bedside table, before he clenched the nearest pillow and grit his teeth. That was longer than he could have hoped to have spoken to his adoptive son, but it wasn't going to help bring Law home sooner if Corazon had no idea where he was. Corazon hated to think about how unhappy Law was, and here he was, unable to do anything about it.

Corazon closed his eyes, about to try and get some rest, when he realized that his bed had just shifted. But he hadn't heard anyone come into the room. The younger Donquixote brother held perfectly still as an arm draped itself lightly over his waist, and a warm body pressed up against his back. Corazon wasn't sure when Doflamingo had come back to the room, but it was clear from his voice that he was displeased by Corazon's conversation with Law.

"Was that Law? It was, wasn't it?" The arm over Corazon's waist tightened. "Are you sure that you don't care for Law as something more than your son?"

Corazon was exhausted and too worried for Law to give that a dignified response. He still couldn't believe the jealousy that sometimes came from his relationship with Law. Yet Doflamingo persisted, and Corazon knew that he would have to give a response of some kind as Doflamingo spoke again.

"You never tell me that you love me. Or that you even care if I…"

"…Or you don't notice. Or maybe it is because I do not appreciate the way you toy with me?"

Doflamingo chuckled darkly at that, but didn't bother to argue, at least for the time being. Instead, Doflamingo merely sagged against the bed. "Get some rest, Roci."

Corazon would, he hoped, but it wasn't going to be until Doflamingo himself fell asleep. It didn't take long, but Corazon was left with the unhappy thought that he even had to wait for his brother to fall asleep to feel comfortable enough to do so himself.

When had that changed?

-x-

Law had his back pressed up against the wall nearest to the bathroom, after Kid had taken the phone from him. It had been a staring contest after that, and for Kid's sake, the red haired fool was smart enough to keep the distance between them. At length Law spoke, when it was clear that Kid wasn't about to, as he still seemed to be trying to figure out what to do about the blue haired lawyer getting to the phone without him realizing it right away. "Since you seem to be in a listening mood, how about I propose something?"

Kid shifted from where he stood next to the couch, but he seemed amused at the thought. "And what would that be?"

"I won't try and call anyone if you will stop forcing me into having sex with you." The dark haired lawyer said bluntly.

There was a long, awkward silence after that.

Kid looked nonplussed, before he suddenly seemed to look uncertain about something.

Law's lip cured. Oh, good, so Kid _could_ feel some guilt. That was rather ironic, considering that the red head had had no problem forcing him to have sex the night before. "So you _do_ know that I did not appreciate you touching me, correct?"

Kid avoided eye contact for only the briefest of moments, before he turned his head to glare at Law. "Kinda hard to tell when you seemed into it…"

Law's eyes flashed dangerously. "Of course my body will respond when it is being…pleasured. But that does not mean that I had agreed to it. Remember the handcuffs? The blindfold? I rather doubt you would have had the need to use them if I were a willing participant."

Kid went silent at that, before he ventured to speak, and closed the distance from the couch to Law, depositing the phone on the piece of furniture as he walked.

Law's back settled more heavily against the wall as Kid stopped a foot or so away from him, his expression unreadable. The dark haired lawyer was sure that had he been his cat, he would have been bristling and trying to warn Kid off from appearances alone. Instead, Law settled for a glower.

Kid's features were torn between amusement and uncertainty, and the uncertainty won out as he asked an unexpected question. "Can I at least sleep in the same bed?"

Of all the…

Law glared daggers at the red haired man in front of him. "I have half a mind to make you sleep on the couch." It was far too late for Kid to make any kind of amends, because Law had already formed an opinion of Kid over the time he had been with him. Law staggered slightly against the wall, and cursed inwardly at the fact that he still felt so worn out.

Kid noticed, and, keeping his eyes on Law, reached out with a hand.

Law squeezed his eyes shut, as he desperately tried to remember a part of the body he could lash out at on Kid to stop him. A panic welled up in Law as Kid's hand closed over one of his wrists and tugged, but it was done more gently than Kid had done before. It didn't make Law feel any better, and he started to feel short of breath. It seemed almost like dejavu...as if something like this had happened before.

Kid let out a sigh. "What the hell? I'm taking you over to the bed. You look like you're gonna fall over."

Law couldn't help but let out a wheeze of laughter at that. He highly doubted that that was all Kid had on his mind. He was surprised when Kid seemed to take issue with his response. The blue haired lawyer let out a gasp as Kid hoisted him up off the ground and onto the bed. Law scooted as far over to one side of the bed as he could, before he felt it shift. He nearly leapt out of his skin when Kid 's chest pressed up against his back, arm going around his waist. Law felt his heart hammering in his chest and kept his eyes shut, having trouble breathing. Why was he reacting like this? Kid hadn't done anything to him.

Yet.

Kid let out an aggravated sigh. "Shit, calm the fuck down. I said I wanna sleep in the same bed with you still. Go the fuck to sleep before you give yourself a heart attack."

Law did try to calm himself down, but he couldn't get it out of his head that Kid was going to try and have sex with him again. And it didn't help that Kid had his arm looped over his waist tightly. Once it was clear that Law could not get away, he did try to get some rest. If only to let his body recover so that he could be ready to deal with Kid in a few hours.

The dark haired lawyer began to doze off after another few minutes of frantic heartbeats and rapid breathing. In fact, Law was starting to find that he was being lulled into a sleepy haze as Kid's now slumbering frame seemed to inch closer up against his for maximum warmth. Law's eyes were still squeezed shut, and a sudden feeling of despair swept over him at the idea that he was not going to be able to get away any time soon. No matter what he had been told on the phone. _'Cora-san...'_

Law knew now that he had to be careful to not make Kid snap as he had before. Because Law really did not want Corazon to find his dead body if the dark haired lawyer made a stupid mistake that could have been easily avoided. Law pushed away that unpleasant thought, at the same time trying to ignore the fact that Kid's presence had ended up relaxing him enough to allow him to fall asleep without dreams of the past.

And if there was one thing that Law could be grateful for that day, it was that.


End file.
